Tour Info

Kathy Loper Events is proud to announce our 19th Annual tour of the Great Wall Marathon, Half Marathon, and 8.5K Fun Run/Walk in Beijing, China on Saturday September 16, 2023. This unique sporting and touring opportunity, under the direction of the Danish and Chinese Athletic Federations is an incredible experience for both the participant and spectator. 

"The Marathon of the Millennium" is now an international event. The course is awesome with 8K on the Great Wall. With the 5,164 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. Participants in the full marathon will conquer this section twice, while the half-marathon will travel through the farmland and villages and cover the 2,582 steps of the Wall only once. The 8.5K Fun Run/Walk only includes some of the steps of the Great Wall. 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.

NOVEL CORONAVIRUS UPDATE - 2020 RACE CANCELLED: 

The safety of our runners is our top priority. We have thus decided in coordination with our local race organizers in China, that it is in everyone’s best interest to cancel The Great Wall Marathon 2020 due to the situation with COVID-19, the novel coronavirus.

We are deeply saddened to make this decision, but due to the World Health Organization’s declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern and resulting travel restrictions imposed by many countries, we believe that the right course of action is to cancel for this year. We offer a heartfelt apology as we are equally disappointed and we will be back in China in 2021.