Photo above: The scale of the Great Wall is illustrated by the participants.

The motivation for running the Great Wall in China (May 19, 2007) was a desire to do something extraordinary in the Golden Year of our marriage. The Marathon is considered by some to be among the most difficult in the world, ranking with the Antarctic Marathon and Pike's Peak. We've done our fair share of marathons so the Great Wall 10K was OK for us at this stage of life.

The 3.2 km segment of the Great Wall used for the race was near the village of Huangyaguan, at the Huangyaguan Pass, in Tianjin Province, about 130 kilometers from Beijing and a three-hour bus ride, in a region not visited by international tourists. The wall is well restored and preserved at this location.

Two days before the race Bus #2 departed our Beijing hotel at 5 am for the mandatory inspection of the course on the Great Wall. At a small village in the foothills about 20 buses assembled to be escorted by the police for the final half hour ride to Huangyaguan. The same procedure was repeated on race day.

On inspection day, after taking advantage of the photo opportunities and examining the course, runners were allowed to change to a shorter or longer race. We believe everyone chose to stand pat.

On race day our bus departed Beijing at 3 am for Huangyaguan. At Ying and Yang Square the marathon started in two waves at 7:30 and 7:35, the half-marathon in two waves at 7:40 and 7:45, and the 10K at 8:15 am. The 5K runners were bused up the long, steep hill to the Great Wall for their start. The morning was cool and clear, the temperature rising to 91 degrees F at midday.

The first 800-meter section was flat, followed by a 4.5 km steep climb from the valley to the Great Wall. We walked most of this hill, as did many others in the marathon, half-marathon and 10K.

There was little opportunity for running on the 3.2 km segment of the Great Wall with only a few 10 to 20 meter flat portions. Repeated steep ascents were followed by steep descents. Steps were of uneven heights and not knee friendly. Some sections of the wall are six to ten feet wide, but there are areas that are narrow and protective sidewalls are absent.

A steep descent off the wall led back to the village. The 5K and 10K runners circled through the village of Huangyaguan to the finish at Ying and Yang Square. The Marathon and Half- Marathon runners continued into the valley. For the marathoners, the gut check was the return to the Great Wall in the reverse of the original visit, after running through the valley. The steep descent at the end of the first 10K became a rugged, tortuous ascent at 34.5 km.

Finishing together, our time for the 10K was 2:09:36, respectable for this event. The rest of the day was spent urging on our newfound friends as they passed through Ying and Yang Square for the remaining portion of the marathon, watching the marathoners and half-marathoners finish, and taking advantage of the complimentary Chinese massage.

Photo: Going up, up, up. There were steep ascents and descents during the Great Wall segment of the race.

The men's winner of the Marathon was Salvador Calo, a 44-year- old computer programmer from Leon, Spain, in a time of 3:23:10, two minutes faster than the previous course record. The women's winner was 29-year-old Sara Winter of New Zealand in a time of 3:50:21, besting the course record for females by 22 minutes, and fifth overall.

Three hundred ninety-seven runners completed the marathon in the eight-hour time limit, 446 completed the half-marathon, 161 finished the 10K, and 83 the 5K race. Americans made up about one-third of the runners. Entrants hailed from 40 countries, with only a few from China.

Entry in the race was gained by joining a tour. Independent entries were not permitted. The tour group we chose gave us flexibility in our travel arrangements and for this we thank Marathon Tours. Lee Shea was exceptionally cooperative in making the travel arrangements. Fourteen tour members from the East Coast were on the UAL Dulles to Beijing non-stop flight, including Cliff Jennings of Marathon Tours. Other major departures were from Chicago and San Francisco.

Friendly competition developed between Bus #1 and Bus #2 in our group of about 70. There were runners who had completed marathons all over the globe. Several in the group were aspiring Seven Continent Club runners. Every participant had interesting stories of their lives and running.

This was an adventurous way for us to begin our Golden Wedding Celebration. Next was the Trans Mongolian--Trans Siberian Railroad to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Then on the Irkutsk, Siberia, and eventually to Moscow on the Trans Siberian RR, returning to the USA in mid June, in time to run the Potomac River Running 4 mile race on the actual date of our 50th anniversary, June 23rd.

Photo above: Colorful dancers greeted the runners.

Further information can be found at www.marathontour.com