Ultra Trail Mount Haituo

Author: Lisa Palmer

Australian runner Lisa Palmer completed the 2026 Ultra Trail Mount Haituo 50k, finishing 16th in the women's field. She kindly sent us her race recap, and we’re excited to feature her story on RunEast!

From start to finish, RunEast made the registration process super easy and helped navigate all the tricky bits. The journey to the Haituo Valley race village started on the runners bus from Beijing. Despite the obvious language barrier and wondering if the DiDi (taxi) driver had taken me to the correct bus stop - a quick check of all the running shoes and hydration packs in line indicated I was in the right place!!

Next day was race day. It was full of excitement with approximate 1000 runners. There was an energetic vibe that was akin to both a pop concert and warriors going off to battle.

The first 10km was fairly easy and very runnable. After the first check point there were several small rocky river crossings and these provided a welcome relief from the heat and slight humidity. We then had a steep ascent through a narrow single track into the forest. The group pace slowed and it was a bit of conga line as we marched up the hill. The following descent was fairly technical and mostly required holding onto a rope while listening to the screams and laughter of some of the Chinese women as they slide down the hill.

At approximately the 20km mark the heavens opened up and a massive downpour of rain, lightning and thunder started. The single track turned into muddy and slippery rivers and provided an extra challenge.

CP3 provided a welcome relief and I enjoyed discovering a well stocked aid station of goodies I had never sampled in previous ultras. I enjoyed a few attempts in talking to other runners who asked my nationality and we laughed at our communication gaps. We took a few selfies and continued on.

A long, steady climb up to the scenic "South Ridge" followed and then a slippery and muddy climb up to the summit. This was definitely one of the most scenic parts of the course with epic views of the mountains covered in fluffy clouds. The descent to CP4 that followed was incredibly slippery and created a challenge to stabilise oneself on the uneven wet terrain.

I underestimated the last 8kms as being the easy stretch to the finish but soon discovered it was a roller coaster of ups and downs through a beautiful pine forest. The rain started again and I pushed on knowing I could hear the race headquarters in the distance and knew it wasn’t far.

I felt so elated when I finally got to the finish line. Thank you to RunEast and UTMH organization for making this race possible. Ultra Trail Mount Haituo 50km is definitely a challenging and memorable event and will remain in my heart as an epic running adventure in China!

Ultra Trail Mount Haituo is one of Hebei's flagship trail events, set in the Yanshan ranges of Chicheng County, Zhangjiakou. Courses climb from the valley floor (674m) to the Haituo summit ridge (1,843m), combining exposed ridgeline running with forested descents.

The Haituo massif straddles the border of Hebei and Beijing and served as the alpine skiing venue for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

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Company

Race Categories (2026)

Fearless 50km

Ultra Trail Mount Haituo 50km race report

To the Start Line

An Explosive Start

Rain and Thunder Started

Climbing Into the Clouds

Racing the Rain Home

Ultra Trail Mount Haituo Introduction