Some people love the hustle and bustle of the city, while others prefer the tranquility of nature. The China Fitness Mountains Mountaineering Race is just such an addictive event.
On June 19, 2016, the third leg of China’s largest themed mountaineering race series — the China Fitness Mountains Mountaineering Race (FMC) — kicked off joyfully at Tianchi Lake in the Tianshan Mountains of Xinjiang. Over 2,100 professional athletes and mountain running enthusiasts from across the country registered to participate. This marked the race’s return to the Tianshan Tianchi Scenic Area, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site, following the first two legs held at the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site of Juyongguan and the UNESCO World Natural Heritage site of Jinfo Mountain.
According to reports, this was already the third time the Tianshan Tianchi area had hosted the Fitness Mountains Race, with the number of participants growing at each leg, making it one of the classic events at Tianchi Lake and highly anticipated by local residents. This leg continued to feature three categories: Men’s/Women’s Speed Category, Fitness Category, and Family Double Category. The Men’s/Women’s Speed Category is a competitive climbing group with a certain level of athletic intensity, mainly targeting professional athletes, mountaineers, and trail running enthusiasts. The Fitness Category is for individual participants focusing on experience rather than competition. The Family Double Category is a mass climbing group for families, using a “one adult and one child” format to strengthen parent-child relationships while inspiring more people and promoting an active lifestyle — a unique feature of the Fitness Mountains Race’s category setup.
According to the route set by the organizing committee, the Speed Category starts from Tianchi Lake, passes by Fushou Temple, known as the “Highest Temple in Northwest China,” where the 300-step staircase from the temple gate to the entrance is called the “300 Steps in the Clouds.” The route continues to Lingshan Temple, then takes the Mayashan Cableway — one of the world’s most advanced high-altitude cable cars — which goes directly to the mountain top, offering a panoramic view of Tianchi Lake, a close-up of Bogda Peak, and the largest volcanic rock forest in China, the Mayastone Forest, before reaching the finish line at the Cloud-Viewing Terrace. This is a track that runners call “extremely grueling and extremely beautiful.” Though only 11.2 kilometers long, the cumulative elevation gain reaches 1,272 meters, with an altitude difference of 1,111 meters. Especially in the latter part of the course, the difficulty increases sharply, with continuous steep ascents testing every participant’s endurance and stamina.
The Fitness Category and Family Double Category routes center around the sacred waters of Tianchi Lake, looping around the lake for a total distance of 13.1 kilometers. The course passes through unique natural landscapes such as mountain trails, bamboo forests, and grasslands, as well as the Xiwangmu Temple, the place where the Queen Mother of the West is said to have cultivated immortality, where wisps of incense linger, giving every participant a sense of spiritual cleansing. The entire route has relatively low difficulty, good road conditions, and plenty of shade, making it an ideal track for mountain runners to improve and train, as well as the best route to get close to nature.
After 1 hour, 13 minutes, and 56 seconds of competition, Gao Yongning from Lanzhou, Gansu, was the first to cross the finish line, winning the men’s first place in the Speed Category. He had placed second and first in the previous two legs, making him a star runner highly anticipated in the Fitness Mountains Race. The women’s first place went to Zhang Huiji from Chongqing. It’s worth mentioning that this was her fifth year participating in the Fitness Mountains Race. Starting in 2012, Zhang Huiji has taken part in the competition, and she feels that the race’s slogan “100 mountains, 100 dreams” perfectly conveys the essence of the event. Anyone who wants to participate and has a dream can join the Fitness Mountains Race, enjoy the unique scenery of the mountains, realize their own value, and gain happiness.
After the race, many participants said that the course design of this leg of the Fitness Mountains Race gave them the opportunity to run on various types of terrain, leaving a deep impression with the distinctly different experiences. As a true mountain running course, complemented by naturally stunning scenery, it felt like running through a beautiful painting of the Western Regions, without any sense of fatigue.
To fully meet the needs of the participants and ensure quality race services, a total of 8 aid stations were set up along the Speed Category and Fitness/Family Double Category courses, where professional volunteers provided runners with water, energy drinks, and other refreshments. A professional rescue team composed of five hospitals in Fukang City (including the Municipal People’s Hospital and the Municipal Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital) also arrived on-site to offer professional medical assistance. In addition, a senior judging panel from the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Mountaineering Association conducted multiple days of advance route inspections, not only ensuring the rationality of the course design but also guaranteeing the fairness and impartiality of the race.
It is reported that since 2012, the Fitness Mountains Race has sparked a wave of mountain running enthusiasm across major peaks nationwide. Events such as “Foodie’s Fitness Mountains Race,” “Climb the Mountains, Find the Treasure,” and “One Mountain, One Primary School” have enriched and diversified the Fitness Mountains Race, bringing its content to life in more vivid and exciting ways.
The new season, themed “No mountain, no joy,” focuses more on the participants, continuously enhancing their racing experience. By embodying the theme, it allows participants in every host location to fully enjoy the fun of outdoor mountain climbing.
It is understood that this leg of the race was jointly organized by the Chinese Mountaineering Association, the Chinese Scenic Areas Association, the Sports Bureau of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and the People’s Government of Fukang City, Xinjiang. It was co-organized by the Tianshan Management Committee of Xinjiang, the Xinjiang Mountaineering Association, and the Xinjiang Western Region Tourism Development Co., Ltd., with exclusive operation by Shizhi Sports. The next leg of the Fitness Mountains Race will take place at Hengshan, one of the “Five Great Mountains” — stay tuned.
According to reports, this was already the third time the Tianshan Tianchi area had hosted the Fitness Mountains Race, with the number of participants growing at each leg, making it one of the classic events at Tianchi Lake and highly anticipated by local residents. This leg continued to feature three categories: Men’s/Women’s Speed Category, Fitness Category, and Family Double Category. The Men’s/Women’s Speed Category is a competitive climbing group with a certain level of athletic intensity, mainly targeting professional athletes, mountaineers, and trail running enthusiasts. The Fitness Category is for individual participants focusing on experience rather than competition. The Family Double Category is a mass climbing group for families, using a “one adult and one child” format to strengthen parent-child relationships while inspiring more people and promoting an active lifestyle — a unique feature of the Fitness Mountains Race’s category setup.