The 2017 Migu Shanrun Mo Mountain Challenge Concludes Successfully, Continuing the Legend of a Benchmark Cross-Country Event

On September 9, nearly 800 cross-country athletes from over ten countries including Switzerland, France, the UK, the US, Italy, Japan, and China gathered at Mo Mountain Park in Yumen, Gansu, to witness the grand opening of the 2017 “Migu Shanrun” Mo Mountain Challenge & Yumen International Cross-Country Race. The “heart-conquering” epic showdown among these elite athletes fully showcased the thrilling allure of “skyrunning.” As the second edition of the Mo Mountain Challenge, this event stood out in the world of cross-country running with its breathtaking geographical features, professionally designed courses, and high-quality event services, becoming yet another milestone in the sport.

Building on the landscape advantages of danxia landforms, hilly deserts, and volcanic craters, the event optimized its course design and introduced a 60KM Mo Mountain Challenge, a 30KM Volcano Trail Run, and a 10KM Hiking Experience Race. The stunningly colorful danxia scenery, the vast and desolate Gobi Desert, and the pristine mountain valleys and gullies created a diverse and majestic tapestry of terrains. For the athletes running through it, it was not only a visual feast but also an ultimate physical and mental challenge. The exhilarating thrill of competition also thrilled Francesca CANEPA from Italy, who showed great interest in the Mo Mountain course and remarked, “This race, which tests climbing skills to the extreme, is very challenging even for ultra skyrunners.”

After fierce competition, Chinese athletes delivered outstanding performances, sweeping the top three spots in both the 60KM and 30KM men’s categories. China’s Qi Min and Italy’s Francesca CANEPA won the men’s and women’s championships in the 60KM race with times of 6 hours, 18 minutes, 36 seconds and 8 hours, 15 minutes respectively. China’s Yang Pengsheng and Wang Li claimed the men’s and women’s titles in the 30KM race with times of 3 hours, 33 minutes, 18 seconds and 4 hours, 06 minutes, 08 seconds. In addition to earning valuable points, they also won substantial prize money. Victory belongs to those who dare to strive forward. Every participant in this Mo Mountain event conquered the wild, delighted in self-challenge, fearlessly overcame physical and mental “demons,” and continued the infinite excitement of “breaking the inner demon.”

(Chinese athlete Qi Min)

(Italian athlete Francesca CANEPA)

The inaugural Mo Mountain Challenge last year was the first cross-country event in mainland China to use the LiveTrail timing system to ensure athlete safety. This year’s Mo Mountain Challenge introduced even more innovations, delivering an even better experience for participants. Before the official race, the Skyrunning China Training Camp was offered free of charge to athletes registered for the 60KM or 30KM events, where gold-medal coaches provided professional guidance to deepen participants’ understanding of “skyrunning.” Cross-country goddess Shanhu was also invited to join the event. With her extensive experience as a volunteer, she led the Mo Mountain Challenge volunteer team in providing thoughtful and attentive services to the athletes. Moreover, the delicious and abundant race nutrition once again won over the athletes’ taste buds, especially the sports drinks and local specialties like lamb and ginseng fruit, offering everyone a well-deserved relaxation and satisfaction after the intense competition.

More importantly, this year’s Mo Mountain Challenge also partnered with the “Blue Dream” charity project to give back to society. The China Mobile Foundation matched charitable donations to the “Blue Dream” project based on the kilometers completed by successful finishers. Through this initiative, Migu Shanrun gave back to society, infusing the event with a spirit of love and making every step taken by the athletes more meaningful through compassion.

Overcoming hardships and breaking free from constraints; in the land of Mo Mountain, hearts aspire to nirvana?! The 2017 “Migu Shanrun” Mo Mountain Challenge & Yumen International Cross-Country Race, meticulously organized by an international professional event team, once again delivered a flawless performance. While showcasing China’s unique and exceptional landscapes to cross-country runners worldwide, the event promoted international exchange in cross-country running culture and provided domestic athletes with a more professional and high-quality racing experience. In the future, Migu Shanrun will also strengthen collaboration with the world-renowned International Skyrunning Federation (ISF), further solidifying the benchmark status of the “Mo Mountain Challenge” and enhancing its global influence. At the same time, it will assist in the global promotion of cross-country running, introduce more advanced off-road concepts to China, promote the healthy and rapid development of the sport in China, and contribute an increasing amount of Chinese strength to the global cross-country running community.

Migu Shanrun – The Choice of China’s Marathon Team

Migu Shanrun is a sports and health platform created by China Mobile Migu in 2015. Online, it uses the Migu Shanrun app as its core, integrating sports, training, events, and charity to promote a new lifestyle of “fun sports.” Offline, it leads with event IPs such as “Biao Shan Yue Ye” (Mountain Adventure), and offers marathon, urban fun runs, mountain trail races, and running service stations to deliver top-tier participation experiences for sports enthusiasts. Migu Shanrun also aims to build a comprehensive event service platform, including event execution, consulting services, offline running service stations, celebrity fan running groups, and corporate running teams. It additionally provides related event derivative services and running-related merchandise.

Currently, the Migu Shanrun app has over 30 million registered users, with more than 1,500 enterprises, 18,000 running groups, and has successfully organized over fifty events including the Xianlin Half Marathon, Shanghai Songjiang Half Marathon, Biao Shan Yue Ye Shangri-La, Yumen Cross-Country Race, Yichun International Forest Marathon, Beijing Women’s Half Marathon, China Mobile’s “Happy 1+1” Migu Health Run, and Chery Auto & Migu Shanrun “Power Run Festival.” These events have attracted over 4.5 million participants both online and offline, covering a total distance of 93.4 million kilometers—equivalent to circling the Earth 2,335 times.