I signed up for the Great Wall of China Marathon the way I sign up for most things:
on impulse, with zero research, and zero understanding of what I was actually getting into.
I knew it would be hard — I mean, it’s called the Great Wall of China for a reason. But in my head, “Great Wall of China Marathon” meant running on the Wall. You know, the part you see in all the photos.
I did not expect to find myself on my hands and knees, crawling down ancient stone steps, trying to talk myself out of a full-blown panic spiral at kilometer four.
Let’s back up.
The race started relatively easy — a little uphill but manageable. I was moving well, feeling good. Once we turned left, it got steeper, more uneven, a little trickier. Still totally doable. More like an adventure race than a traditional marathon.
Around 4K in, we reached the Wall itself. That’s when things got real.
And by “real,” I mean basically vertical.
The stairs were steep, narrow, and crumbling. On either side? Nothing. No fences, no railings — just open space and a long way down. I kept going. Slowly. Cautiously. Then I heard the wind — it was loud, stormy, and disorienting. And something in me just… snapped.
From one second to the next, I couldn’t go on.
My legs turned to jelly. I froze.
My fear of heights, which rarely shows up, was fully activated. I sat down. Breathed. Tried to calculate my next move. Climbed a few steps up. Sat again. Tried again.
This went on for maybe half an hour.
But I couldn’t get out of that state. I couldn’t “shake it off.”
I wasn’t injured. Just fully locked up by fear.
So I did what made the most sense: I ran my own version of the marathon.
Still 42.2K. Still hot. Still brutal elevation. Just… not on the Wall.
I looped around the base, found roads, trails, anything that would let me keep moving. I ran until I hit the distance.
Was it the “official” course?
No.
Did I finish?
Yes.
Would I do it again?
Honestly… unclear.
But it was one of the most unique, wild, and unexpectedly challenging races I’ve ever done. Not because I had some breakthrough or epic comeback. Just because I signed up, showed up, and figured it out as I went.
Which — if you know me — is pretty much how I do everything.