Sign Up Now! The 4th Huanglong Extreme Endurance Race 2023 Starts on April 30th!

This is a contest of speed and passion

This is a test of physical strength and perseverance

This is a meeting of passion and distant lands

Snow-capped mountains, alpine lakes, forests, calcified pools

Meadows, ancient towns, villages, alpine pastures...

A long-awaited visual feast

A spiritual baptism on the northwestern Sichuan Plateau

The 2023 4th Huanglong Extreme Endurance Race is here!

Registration is now open

Hurry to sign up!

Late spring and early summer, meet on May Day

A visual feast of trail running between people and landscapes

Are you ready?

Rush to the mountains, embrace nature, and pursue the light in your heart!

With the theme "Yaochi Huanglong, Gathering Beauty Songpan", the 2023 4th Huanglong Extreme Endurance Race will be held from April 30 to May 2, 2023, in Songpan County, Aba Prefecture, Sichuan.

Trail running and outdoor hiking enthusiasts of all levels can choose a route that matches their ability.

Therefore, the event has specially set up "GCR Songzhou Ancient City Run" and "SPHL Speed Climb Huanglong" activities.

The official race has three categories: "Huanglong Secret Realm HLMJ22", "Ancient Tea Horse Road CMGD30", and "Xuebaoding XBD52". Participants can choose the appropriate category based on their own situation.

"GCR Songzhou Ancient City Run" will start on April 30 at the North Gate Square of Songzhou Ancient City, from Songpan Ancient City Square to Mounigou. Total distance about 7 km, duration about 1.5 hours. (This run is suitable for HLMJ22, CMGD30, and XBD52 participants as a warm-up and altitude acclimatization two days before the trail race, and as a "Healthy Run" for local Songpan residents.)

"SPHL Speed Climb Huanglong" will start on May 1 at 9:00 AM at Huanglong Scenic Area Square. Total distance about 4 km, duration about 3 hours. Afterward, participants can freely tour the area. (This climb is suitable for HLMJ22, CMGD30, and XBD52 participants as a higher altitude acclimatization the day before the trail race, and as a "Summit Climb" for local Huanglong residents.)

"Huanglong Secret Realm HLMJ22" will start on May 2 from Huanglong Scenic Area Square. Total distance about 22 km, cumulative ascent about 1297 m, altitude range 3192–4400 m, cutoff time 10 hours. (This category is a short-distance group designed for runners with some trail running foundation and experience, who also yearn for high altitude and scenic course landscape and pursue technical sections.)

"Ancient Tea Horse Road CMGD30" will start on May 2 from Shangnami Village. Total distance about 30.4 km, cumulative ascent 1257 m, altitude range 2850–3800 m, cutoff time 8 hours. (This category is suitable for trail running beginners, highly runnable, and an entry-level course for experiencing high-altitude trail running.)

"Xuebaoding XBD52" will start on May 2 from Huanglong Scenic Area Square. Total distance about 52 km, cumulative ascent 2544 m, altitude range 2850–4400 m, cutoff time 15 hours. (This category is suitable for advanced trail runners.)

An overwhelming history, rare and magnificent scenery, precious delicacies, rich and diverse culture... Meet on this journey, live up to the encounter.

The towering Minshan Mountains embrace the ancient city, and the Minjiang River encircles the city walls. This is the "southwest gateway"—Songzhou Ancient City, a historically famous border military town, with a history of over 1400 years.

Photo: Yang Youli

Perhaps you don't know the history that happened here, but you must have heard the story of Princess Wencheng and Songtsen Gampo.

Photo: Zerang Ta

This place accommodates people of Tibetan, Qiang, Hui, and Han ethnicities living together, gradually forming a unique ethnic style and rich food culture.

Photo: Jiang Yuebin

Here, not only are there lively Lantern Festivals and distinctive Guozhuang dances, but also various delicacies such as Qiongguo steamed buns, sour noodle pieces, fresh beef offal, hand-grabbed meat, etc., each telling the charm of this millennium-old ancient city to every visitor.

△ Songpan Lantern Festival

Nature's uncanny workmanship created "Jade Pool on Earth"—Huanglong, its colorful hues never fail to astonish.

In May, a gentle breeze sends spring away in Huanglong, bringing summer's enthusiasm to redden the azaleas all over the mountains, and summer's freshness to cover the vast forests.

The sun is just right, lush greenery everywhere. Walking through verdant mountains, every breath is the taste of nature.

Various azaleas bloom wantonly in the forests and by the calcified beaches, showing their pink, white, and light-colored faces.

The water in the calcified pools becomes more vibrant and vivid with the seasonal changes.

With the gentle breeze, they dance among over 3400 colorful pools, becoming more crystal clear under the sunlight.

Late spring and early summer, meet on May Day, come to Huanglong to witness nature's uncanny workmanship with your own eyes.

Xuebaoding sits in the easternmost Minshan Mountains of the Seven Hengduan Ranges, and is also the main peak of the Minshan Mountains, with an altitude of 5588 meters. It is a precious place suitable both for hiking and climbing and for travel and sightseeing.

Photo: Zerang Ta

Here, the mountain is steep, with numerous peculiar peaks, snow-capped all year round, surrounded by clusters of mountains, magnificent in sight.

In addition, the overall climbing route is relatively short, but with complex terrain such as steep slopes, scree slopes, and snow and ice slopes, it provides a very rich climbing experience for mountaineering and trail enthusiasts.

Mounigou, located 21 kilometers south of Songpan County seat, mainly consists of Zhaga Waterfall and Erdao Sea, one on the left and one on the right, yet with entirely different scenery.

The upper part of Zhaga Waterfall is a lake, and the lower part is a series of stepped riverbeds. It is a multi-layered cascade waterfall.

As the waterfall rock body is composed of calcified deposits accumulated over years, the flowing water and calcified body perfectly merge, like ice carving and jade sculpture, extremely beautiful.

Therefore, it is also known as "China's First Calcified Waterfall".

On the other side, walking into Erdao Sea feels like entering another world—lush forests envelop numerous alpine lakes of various sizes.

A series of large and small lakes stretch upward along the valley bottom, connected into one piece, crystal clear, with exotic flowers and grasses scattered everywhere.

There are also landscapes such as plateau barrier lakes, karst caves, hot springs, and meadows, set off by the primitive dense forest and gently illuminated by the sunlight, colorful and ever-changing.

The meaning of trail hiking is to measure the world with feet and record scenery with eyes. Besides the above attractions, there are many more landscapes along the way waiting for you to discover.

1. Event Time: April 30 - May 2, 2023

2. Registration Time: February 10 - April 1, 2023, or until all group quotas are filled

3. Event Location: Huanglong National Scenic Area - Songpan Ancient City

4. For detailed rules and instructions, please click "Read Original" below.

5. Schedule:

Late spring and early summer, ride the gentle breeze

Step on the warm sunlight

Accompanied by incomparable beauty

Break through limits, enjoy a hearty workout

Challenge yourself, encounter different scenery along the way

Photo: Zerang Ta