On September 26, the pre-race briefing for the first edition of the Eight Hundred Leagues Extreme Race was successfully held at Dunhuang Mountain Villa. All domestic and international participants and volunteers attended, attentively listeningandtaking notes on the most crucial pre-race information sharing.
At the start of the briefing,the hostfirst introduced to the attendeesthe main representatives of the race organizing committee, who are all in charge of key positions within the event. Subsequently, Qiu Lei, the executive director of the Eight Hundred Leagues Race, gave the athletes a detailed explanation of the course overview, the full race schedule, terrain and landscape, route navigation maps, prize settings, and other important matters. When the finisher’s medal featuring the culturally rich design of the “Tiger Talisman” was unveiled, it caused an outburst of amazement and excitement among the athletes. The “Tiger Talisman” was an ancient imperial token used by emperors to mobilize troops. The tiger talisman medal for the Eight Hundred Leagues is designed based on the military tally issued by Emperor Qin Shi Huang to the general stationed at Yangling after unifying China. The tiger talisman is split into two halves—each participant will receive one half before the race begins, and will only get the other half upon completing the race. When the two halves are combined, they form a complete tiger talisman, symbolizing a full race completion. The athletes were very excited and expressed their determination to earn the other half, showing great anticipation for this uniquely Chinese-designed race medal.
Qiu Lei, Executive Director of the Eight Hundred Leagues Race, introduces the course information
It is reportedthat the Eight Hundred Leagues’ culturally unique award designs go far beyond this.The top threefinishersand all those who complete the race will be granted ancient Chinese military general titles of varying ranks andwill also receivebamboo slip certificates.The top threefinishers will alsoreceive night-glowing cup trophies. In addition, thechampion will also be awarded a one-of-a-kind grand prize: their name will be permanently engraved on the “Eight Hundred Leagues Champion Beacon Tower,” leaving a lasting mark in the history of the race.Champion Grand General Guanjun Marshall (Champion)
Cavalry Grand General Cheji Marshall (Second Place)
Garrison Grand General Zhenjun Marshall (Third Place)
General Fubo (Finishers)
Eight Hundred Leagues Champion Beacon Tower
At the briefing session, Wang Wei, head of the event command center, explained to the participants the use of timing cards, the function of trackers, and other specific details. Each participant will receive one timing card, which they will use to check in and out at rest stops to record the time taken for each segment and their overall performance. The organizing committee will also provide all participants with a personal tracker. With technical support from Neusoft, during the race, participants and their family or friends can track the participants' real-time location, route trajectory, and rankings through the official Eight Hundred Li Desert Race website. Thanks to this robust technical support, participants are well safeguarded throughout the race."The race features a total of 23 checkpoints and 10 rest stops. As 80% of the Eight Hundred Li course is in uninhabited areas, real-time signals cannot be guaranteed. The course is relatively rugged and winding. While the 800-li route is recommended, it is not mandatory. Even though we have tracking in place, we still want to remind participants to prioritize self-protection — that’s essential," said Qiu Lei.
The timing cards and trackers provided by the organizing committee for the participants
The participating athletes present, especially the international runners, were taking nothing for granted,alllistening attentively and taking notes on the committee’s explanations, actively asking questions to prepare thoroughly for their first race in China.
The birthday boy Cao Jun thanked everyone for the celebration.
At the end of the briefing, all participants joyfully received one half of a tiger tally from Mr. Garland, the race director. Garland stated that he would be waiting at the finish line to hand over the other half of the tally to the brave souls who complete the full 400-kilometer course within 150 hours, looking forward to welcoming the heroes of the Eight Hundred Li back in triumph.
