The 8th Annual tour of Huangyaguan Great Wall Marathon, Half Marathon, and 10K will be held in Jixian town, Tianjin City, China on Saturday May 16, 2009.

"The Marathon of the Millennium" is now an international event. The course is awesome with 8K on the Great Wall. With the 1800 steps, varying greatly in width and height, the course is run on some steep ascents and descents as well as some very narrow passages on the Great Wall. Runners are advised to run slowly going up and down the mountain, as well as to walk when passing the steepest parts of the Great Wall. Participants in the full marathon will conquer this section twice, while the half-marathon and 10K routes will travel through the farmland and villages and cover the 1800 steps of the Wall only once. The longest part of the course is flat with some rolling terrain as well as some dirt road as it travels through the Chinese farmlands and villages, but do not require special footwear.

The focus of The Great Wall Marathon is on experiencing a unique adventure and not on setting new records. A fascinating tour combining an adventurous and demanding challenge with relaxing visits to some of Chinas most signature monuments.

As a vacation destination, few places on earth can offer such a fascinating array of cultures, history and architectural wonders. For those with time constraints, we offer a short trip in Beijing only; relax tour includes Beijing, Xian and Shanghai plus a cruise on the Yangtze River; Beijing, Xian, Guilin, Shanghai plus Suzhou and Tongli water town. Each trip will include lots of sight-seeing, shopping, special meals, and more opportunities to explore on your own. We advise the latter trip to broaden your view of ancient as well as modern China.