Chongli 168 Ultra-Trail 100km Race Report

Author: Alex Neyrinck (@alex_neyrinck )

Alex Neyrinck completed the 2026 Chongli168 Ultra Trail 100km in 8th place overall. He was kind enough to share his race report with RunEast, and we're pleased to present it here.

• 🏆 Place: 8th Overall
• 🏃‍♂️ Distance: 103km
• 🏔️ Elevation: 4,800m
• ⏱️ Time: 12h 56m

My first time racing through the night. Initially, I wasn’t too concerned as the terrain looked nice and runnable, but the weather quickly proved me wrong. 🌧️

We set off at 8 PM and by the first climb, I realized I was in for a brutal night. Thick mud, heavy mist with zero visibility, and non-stop rain. Out of the entire 103km, maybe only 20-25km wasn’t completely destroyed by the elements. The breakdown:

• 0-30km: Started sluggishly, spending way too much energy negotiating slick mud on the ups and downs.
• 30-50km: Found a good groove and started feeling much better.
• 50-103km: Challenging. I’m not entirely sure why, but I could never get into the rythme and didn’t feel like myself.

In all honesty, I wanted to throw in the towel at every single checkpoint from 25km onwards. I just kept telling myself to make it to the next aid station and reassess. That stubbornness ended up yielding an 8th-place finish in a very competitive field.

Overall, I’m proud to have grinded it out—these are the races where you learn the most about yourself. However, I’m a little disappointed with my time because I know that I’m capable of running a lot faster.

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Chongli 168 Ultra Trail Introduction

The Chongli 168 is a premier trail running event hosted in the scenic mountain range of Zhangjiakou. It's one of the largest trail running festivals in Asia, attracting over 10,000 runners annually.

Held in the host city of the 2022 Winter Olympics, the course features stunning alpine meadows, massive wind farms, and remnants of the ancient Great Wall. It is known for its runnable terrain, mild summer temperatures, and festive atmosphere.