Jilongding Trail Running Race

By RunEast team

Finished the Jilongding Trail Race 30k in Guangdong, China last weekend. Spent half the race taking photos of azaleas and meadows, finished in 5:30 and placed ~400th out of ~1,200. Really enjoyed this one.

Got up at 4:30 to catch a shuttle from Yangchun. 90 minutes just to get to the start. It was already hot when the gun went off at 7:40 and honestly it only got worse from there.

Start to SP1 — 4k of road in full sun. I went out at like 5:00/km with everyone else, lasted maybe a kilometer before I was completely gassed. Just couldn't breathe. Had to back way off and let people go.

SP1 to CP1 — This was the big climb. I got dizzy from the heat about halfway up and just had to stop and drink water for a bit. But once I made it to the ridge it was way better, actual wind up there. And the hills are ridiculous, like perfectly round and green, looked like a screensaver or something. Smelled great too, just fresh woods and grass everywhere.

CP1 to CP2 — This was the highlight. Someone up ahead spotted azaleas and you could feel everyone speed up a little. Then you come over one more hill and the whole valley is just pink. I literally stopped walking for a second. And then near CP2 the volunteers were ringing bells and cheering, you could hear them from way off. So good.

CP2 to CP3 — Steep downhill, super technical. My legs started cramping right before CP3 and I basically just shuffled in.

CP3 to finish — 8k of road back in the sun. Dead legs, stomach hurt, just wanted it to be over. They had cooling stations every few hundred meters though which honestly saved me.

I stopped for photos all day. Did not care about my time at all. Somewhere up on that ridge I think I finally got why people do this.

Organization — actually really solid. Warning signs in the right places, cooling stations where you needed them, plenty of medical people around, aid stations had good food. Worth a run. Would do it again.