China Outdoor Network partners with North American Endurance Adventure event company to co-create.
TFO (The First Outdoors) is the designated equipment sponsor.
China’s first multi-endurance event centered around the Red Army’s Four Crossings of the Chishui River.
The first TV-broadcast competition open to global MBA, EDP, EMBA, and business elites competing on the same stage.
Retracing the steps of history and reliving the passionate years of struggle, athletes showcased their agility against the vast landscape, leaving a deep impression on countless spectators. Let us revisit those memorable moments through the lens.
Remembering history stirs even stronger passion.
The Long March is one of the most influential events of the 20th century that shaped the future of the world. It is a human epic written with ideals, dedication, courage, and willpower. The Four Crossings of the Chishui River represent the most brilliant and magical chapter of this epic and vividly embody the great spirit of “fearing no powerful enemy, not fearing hardships, persisting in resistance, and never giving up.”
On the 81st anniversary of the victory of the Red Army’s Long March, China Outdoor Network and TFO, together with North America’s professional event organization Endurance Adventure, Zunyi Transportation & Tourism Investment Group, and Guizhou-Guangdong Network Co., Ltd., selected the Chishui River Valley—the historic site of the Red Army’s Four Crossings of the Chishui River—as the main venue. They organized Asia’s premier multi-endurance competition for global business elites.
Let us revisit the spirit of the Long March, chase our dreams of corporate and personal growth, roll up our sleeves and work hard, stay true to our original aspirations, and keep moving forward.
Highlights of the Event
1. The most challenging race venue: the Chishui River Valley in Zunyi, famed for the Red Army’s “Four Crossings of the Chishui” during the Long March. The MBA Challenge aligns closely with the spirit of these crossings, inspiring the core values of business elites who stay true to their mission.
2. The highest-level execution of a multi-endurance event in Asia (organized by leading event planning agency China Outdoor Network in partnership with Canada’s Endurance Adventure).
3. An exceptional “play-and-compete” experience: thrilling race events, well-equipped venues, breathtaking scenery along the route, rich cultural heritage, ample social interaction, and a perfectly immersive event experience.
4. The largest-scale live TV and online broadcast of a multi-endurance event in China, jointly streamed by over ten provincial TV stations and satellite channels, as well as more than twenty mainstream online live platforms, bringing your brilliance to screens everywhere.
5. A more comprehensive competition evaluation system: rankings include team, institution, individual events, and overall personal performance, balancing teamwork and individual effort. Across mountains and valleys, over long bridges and iron cables, and once again crossing the Chishui River, the bugle calls of those heroic years echo: “The Red Army fears not the trials of the Long March, holding light ten thousand crags and torrents. The Five Ridges wind like gentle ripples, and the majestic Wumeng roll by, globules of clay. Warm the steep cliffs lapped by golden sands, cold iron chains bridge the Dadu River. Minshan’s thousand-li crest of snow rejoices the Army’s sight—after all, smiles break upon the Three Armies.”
Looking back at history, the blood of the Chinese people boils with indomitable pride. Today, the “smoke of battle” rising together by the Chishui River shows us the fusion of history and modern times.
This global elite challenge by the Chishui River originates from a premium North American event, known as the most difficult wilderness extreme challenge in North America. It is famed for its diverse competitions, thrilling course designs, and physically demanding schedules. To adapt the difficulty to Asian physical conditions, the organizing committee ingeniously combined orienteering, mountain biking, kayaking, running, and zip-lining, enabling more people to participate and embody the spirit of the Long March firsthand.
Indeed, during the competition, many MBA, EMBA, and other students from business schools across the globe, as well as elite professionals and executives from Fortune 500 companies, joined in. The event attracted attention from nearly half of the world’s high-end demographic. The fierce competition and the excitement of overcoming challenges were mesmerizing.
Crossing the Chishui once more, our armor now shines brighter.
Beyond the exciting race setup and the passion of participants, another highlight of this event was the stunning appearance of TFO (The First Outdoors).
As the most eye-catching gear provider of the competition, TFO impressed participants with everything from race bibs and all skin layers to designated footwear. With internationally top-tier materials and design, the gear handled all kinds of weather conditions in the wild almost perfectly, offering full protection to every athlete.
During the event, many athletes expressed their fondness for the equipment in interviews.
A student from Tsinghua University’s Guanghua School of Management mentioned that although the difficulty of the competition exceeded expectations, the fun of the challenge ignited everyone’s competitive spirit. Prior to this, his exercise had been limited to indoor treadmill workouts, and he hadn’t realized how important quality gear could be. He started with his own equipment but felt uncomfortable midway through the race. After switching to TFO gear at a teammate’s suggestion, he felt almost no hindrance in the second half and moved more agilely. Great gear is just cool.
However, as the saying goes, you need solid gear to perform well. TFO excels internationally in fabric, design, functionality, and scientific innovation. By participating in this event, TFO also hopes to encourage more urbanites to engage in outdoor sports, put down their phones, step away from computers, and immerse themselves in nature’s vastness. Put on TFO and go for a spontaneous adventure.
One TFO participant, despite being a first-time competitor unfamiliar with the course and events, got injured during the high-intensity 20-km orienteering challenge. But he didn’t give up because, like the message TFO conveys—“Persevere. Strive.”—he gritted his teeth and completed the entire challenge, embodying the TFO spirit through his actions and showing everyone present what it truly means.
Although the Zunyi Chishui River Valley Global Elite Challenge has concluded successfully, the spirit of the Red Army it honors and the outdoor philosophy promoted by TFO will continue to influence the lifestyle values of urbanites.