Triathlon and decathlon competitions are well-known, but have you heard of the new event called the “Super Six”? From August 3 to 4, the China·Linxia (Yellow River Three Gorges) Super Six Mountain Outdoor Challenge will be held in Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province. It will be the longest continuous-distance, most intense single-day, and toughest mountain outdoor challenge in China to date.
The organizing committee announced in Beijing on the 3rd that the race will cover approximately 270 kilometers, all on mountainous outdoor courses, with 20 high-level domestic and international mountain outdoor professional teams participating. Athletes will need to complete six outdoor disciplines: open water swimming, kayaking, mountain biking, orienteering, rope skills, and mountaineering.
The competition events include the Liujiaxia Swim, Yellow River Three Gorges Kayaking, Linxia Mountain Bike Cross-Country, Hezheng Archaeological Adventure, Songmingyan Abseiling, and Lianhua Mountain Climbing. Participants are divided into men’s and mixed groups, with athletes completing multiple events in a single day, and the one with the shortest overall time declared the winner.
Shi Shengtai, Deputy Director of the Gansu Provincial Sports Bureau, said: “This is the first original branded event in northwest China, closely integrating the geography, history, and culture of Linxia.”
Xv Chuan, Party Committee Secretary of the Mountaineering Sports Management Center under the General Administration of Sport of China, pointed out that the Linxia Super Six Challenge is distinctive, and its distance can be considered the longest among existing outdoor challenges in China. Completing six different types of outdoor sports over such a long course is “rare in China.”
As one of the event organizers, Zhang Jian, Director of the Social Sports Department at Beijing Sport University and an open water swimming expert, has launched many original sporting events in recent years. He revealed: “We chose Linxia to host the Super Six Challenge primarily because of its unique geographical conditions and cultural heritage. We aim to support the cultural development of western ethnic minorities and national fitness. We hope this event will give people around the world a new understanding of China’s Yellow River, and that Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture gains a distinctive promotional highlight.”