Normally I play a little sport, mainly indoor soccer, netball, swimming and surf every so often, but I had done no “real” running prior to deciding on the Great Wall Marathon as my next big challenge.  My husband and running partner, Tom, was in the same position; plenty of sport but absolutely no running experience.  After limited training we hopped on the plane and it was off to China.
 
From the moment we touched down at the airport I was amazed by the city of Beijing. We were met at the arrival gate and warmly greeted by our transfer driver, then we proceeded to weave our way through the empty but super modern airport. We drove out of the airport to join the loooong line of traffic heading towards the city. Beijing is an amazing city to drive through. The diversity of its people is clearly demonstrated every where you go. While some traditional buildings still remain, the streets are also lined with modern high rise building that look like something from the future. There are literally thousands of bicycles weaving in and out of the traffic and herds of people striding the sidewalks.  

Arriving at our hotel, we relaxed for a while and then “hit” Beijing as tourist, seeing the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square and many of the amazing temples that are in abundance in Beijing.

On the inspection day, we woke up eagerly anticipating the drive out to the Great Wall.  The drive from Beijing took approximately 3.5 hours, however the scenery made for a very pleasant change. It was like suddenly driving across an invisible border; suddenly the city just ended and the roads became lined with farms and small villages. There were no huge apartment buildings but tiny, very basic farm houses.

Form the moment the Great Wall was in my line of sight it took my breath away. It is far more amazing then any picture can show. After a brief discussion from the race organisers in the Fort area we headed to the top of the hill for our first walk on the Great Wall. By this time it was about 10.00am. In preparation for the cold weather I had been warned about, silly me wore jeans and a heavy jumper – bad idea. It was certainly cool early on but by mid-morning a warn jumper was definitely a surplus to requirements.  The steps are more like double steps and maneuvering up them in a pair of jeans was not easy.

As I walked along the wall I could not but wonder how the heck we were suppose to run along it come race day. The steps ranged from 1cm high and 60cm in depth to 60cm high and 20com in depth.  I have very small feet and even I struggled to get any grip in some areas. Not to mention the very steep, narrow and muddy down hill area that finishes off the section of wall. Although it looked hard it made me even keener for the challenge.

I woke up on race day and surprisingly I was feeling quite good considering it was 3am and I was about to run my very first Half-Marathon. Again we jumped on the bus for the drive out to the wall and thankfully I was able to get in a bit more sleep. Along the journey Tom and I decided that we would set ourselves a little goal for completing the Half-Marathon. After discussing it with a few people on the bus we decided that 4 hours was achievable.

 
Once the gun sounded and the 1st group of runners took off I did start to get a little nervous. I had absolutely no idea what I was in for and to be honest, although I felt fit I was a little worried that 21k’s was going to be a little further then I had imagined. We lined up and as the gun sounded and we crossed the start line in the pack I became very excited. We headed up the hill towards the start of the wall, which at the time seemed like we were running up the side of a mountain (I swore the bus took us a different way as it seemed so much shorter when we were driving). After stopping to have a water fight with a few of the local children we made it to the top and climbed the first lot of steps on to the Wall. Running along the Great Wall was a fantastic feeling even though it is full of huge flights of steps and steep drops.  Despite the terrain there was always someone there cheering us on.

Running through the villages was also a truly amazing experience. I probably spent a bit too much time talking and playing with the local children but the fact that they were welcoming us in to their tiny village and lining the streets to cheer us along was just awesome. The little girls were holding bunches of flowers that they would give to us as we strode by. Far too cute for me to resist.

Tom and I crossed the line together in 3hrs 49mins and what an amazing feeling it was. As I ran in to the huge fort and over the line I heard my name being announced over the loud speaker and I must say that I really did feel like a winner.  

The whole experience was so much fun and after running the race I do see now why they say that this race is not about times but about enjoying the experience.

Thankfully I can truly say that I did.