Race Day

Well, here we are. It's finally here. Time to go race the Great Wall.  Everyone in our tour group got a 2:45am wake up call. Busses departed the hotel at 3:30. We all got a box breakfast to eat on the bus. And for once, the streets are almost completely free of traffic. Time to roll.

The sun slowly rose as we headed east out of the city. When we reached Jixian, we left the expressway and headed north on a winding two-lane road that would take us to the wall. When we arrive, temps in the mountainous area were cool with a strong breeze.  Now the goal is to stay warm for an hour and a half until race time.

As we entered the old fortress, we were greeted by music from a brass band to welcome runners from around the world. We entered Yin and Yang Square and looked for a spot to hang out until race time.

Today, there are three races. A full marathon, a half marathon, and an 8k fun run. More than 2,400 runners from 70 countries were in the square. Most were wearing shirts or hats to identify their homeland. And what a diverse group: Australia, Egypt, Brazil, Belgium, Mexico, South Africa, Japan, Russia, Canada, Poland, New Zealand, Iran, Argentina, Spain, and many more. Running and a sense of adventure had all brought us here, and everyone was mixing and interacting with their new friends from around the globe. I sat back, took it all in, and realized this was pretty amazing to experience.

Local dignitaries gave welcoming speeches, then it was time for the starter gun and we were off. The first three miles were straight uphill on a curvy road. It was lined with people from the local village cheering us on enthusiastically. At the top of the hill we entered the Great Wall.  The sun had popped up over the mountain ridge to the east the first tower was basking in the morning light.

Climbing the steps on the wall was no easier than it was on inspection day. I found it best to keep my head down, focus on my footing, and pace myself. I refused to look up to the towers at the top of the steps. After each climb, we passed through a tower and descended steps on the other side. Going down was as tough as going up becuse they were steep and varying heights. After six steep climbs, we had reached the final tower. It was now to head down the steep goat trail back to the fortress. We circled the fortress on ramparts atop the walls, dropped down a flight of stairs, and headed out a gate down the road. We had completed about 5 miles, a litlle more than 8 to go and our legs were feeling like jello.

We were about one hour into the race and the sun was starting to heat up as we headed down the road towards a local village. The course took us down a gravel road, across a bridge and into the dusty village. We were again met with locals out to look at these strange foreigners running in their streets. Kids would line up in groups of 6 or 7 to high-five as you passed. Big smiles and "hello!" as we passed by.

The course had many twists and turns in the village and I once thought maybe I took a wrong turn. I made it to the aid station at mile 10. I took a short break to take some energy gel, guzzle water, and find a little shade from the sun. Sam had let me go ahead so I was now going to push hard the last 3 miles to the finish.

And so it begins...

A good friend of mine once told me, "if you want to experience big things, first you gotta dream big things".


Three years ago I was recovering from surgery to re-attach my ruptured Achilles tendon.  While perusing a website with links to various marathon and half-marathon races around the world, I stumbled across the Great Wall Marathon.  After looking at some of the pictures on the site and viewing a few youtube videos, I was hooked.  I knew I had to do this race!

Maybe it was the physical challenge.  I have done more than 30 half marathons and one full marathon, but this race......this is going to be something completely different from anything I have done to date.  The part of the race that takes place on the wall looks to be the ultimate stair-stepping workout. 

Maybe it was the allure of a far away place and a sense of adventure.  I like the idea of throwing myself into a different culture and absorbing everything around you ..... immersing yourself in the sights, the sounds, the language, the customs, the cuisine, the architecture.....everything!  We hear about China so much in the media and their growing economy, and how they are now a major player in the global economy.  In my work, we are always following the Chinese economy and its impact to U.S. exports of timber and other agricultural products here in the Pacific Northwest.  This will be an opportunity to experience it for myself.  To see Beijing, to see rural villages, and to see everyday people going about their daily lives.  I will get to experience it firsthand and maybe dispel some myths along the way.

Maybe I'm just a little crazy to think I could actually go there and do this.  At the time I decided I wanted to do this race, I could barely run.  The muscles in my left leg had atrophied during the eleven weeks I spent on crutches and my knee scooter.  I ran with a hitch in my stride as I struggled to push off with my weak leg to match the stride length of my strong leg.  Over time, my leg strengthened and I could run normally again, eventually increasing my pace and stretching out over longer distances.  After completing the Los Angeles Marathon last year, I knew it was time to get serious about doing the Great Wall.  So, last fall I signed up for the race and tour.  But this is not a solo effort.  My oldest son, Sam, is going with me.  He has completed a couple marathons and a few half marathons in recent years, so he eagerly said "yes" when I asked him to join me.   



So that's the back story.  Let's move forward to the here and now.  It's time to go! This evening I will fly to Seattle to meet up with Sam when he arrives from Los Angeles.  In the morning, we will board Air Canada for a short hop to Vancouver, BC and then a non-stop to Beijing, arriving mid-day on Wednesday after crossing the international date line.

I will try to post regularly while in China, with links via Facebook, but there may be restrictions and filters that will prevent my posts from getting through.  If that's the case, I will post everything upon our return.  I look forward to sharing my experiences with you.