Participants weren’t racing for speed or time—finishing any distance based on their own stamina made them winners.
24 Hours to Hike 100km
300 Participants, Only 36 Finished the Full Course
No Need for Speed—Some Even Took a Foot Bath Midway
Starting from Xixi Wetland, climbing Longjing, crossing the Qiantang River, and looping around West Lake, the full course spanned an impressive 100km. Within 24 hours, and without using any vehicles, participants completed this hike entirely on foot.
Would You Take on This Crazy Hiking Challenge? At 8:00 AM on October 27, the 2nd Hangzhou 100km Hiking Event kicked off at the east gate of Xixi Wetland, with 300 hiking enthusiasts from Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai embarking on their “super endurance” journey. By 8:00 AM on October 28—the official cutoff time—36 had completed the entire course.
Holding the route map and checkpoint list for the 2nd Hangzhou 100km Hiking Event, the reporter couldn’t help but be awestruck by the incredible endurance of the participants.
Starting from the east gate of Xixi Wetland, the first checkpoint of the 100km route was Dalin, followed by Songcheng, then Longjing, Santai Mountain Road, Wanda Road, Xianghu Jiayuan, the north bank of Qianjiang Fourth Bridge, Stadium Road, West Lake Avenue, and the Children’s Palace. Plotting these points on a map of downtown Hangzhou reveals that the hiking route covered more than half the city.
The organizer of the Hangzhou 100km Hiking Event is an all-grassroots outdoor club called Urban Youke. One of the event planners, “Caiwei,” told reporters: “The 100km hiking event is a well-established activity. Hong Kong’s version has been running since the 1980s and has huge global influence. We thought Hangzhou’s beautiful landscapes make it a perfect place for such an event.”
The 2nd Hangzhou 100km Event offered three participation options: a 10km experience hike, a 50km half-course, and a 100km full course. All 300 participants were amateur hikers, and 36 completed the full challenge. The prize for finishing? Just a trekking pole.
“The 100km hike isn’t a competitive race—it emphasizes courage, experience, and self-transcendence. Achieving a fast time isn’t the main goal. That’s why we repeatedly stress not racing for speed or time. Based on your own stamina, no matter how many kilometers you complete, you’re a winner,” said Caiwei.
“A pair of twins under 10 years old came all the way from Shanghai to join the event, and their mother accompanied them for 30km,” an organizer staff member told us. The youngest participants in this Hangzhou 100km hike were those twins. “Most others were young adults and middle-aged, but the oldest participant was nearly 60.”
Completing 100km is something everyone knows isn’t easy. Walking continuously for ten to twenty hours, from day into night, participants had to mentally and physically prepare for every aspect, as well as ensure their safety. “Paradise” commented.
Hiking shoes, quick-dry clothing, sweat towels, sports water bottles, mobile phones, wallets, energy bars—these were just the basic gear. At the scene, reporters saw many participants had support crews or “logistics personnel” who brought along an array of items: chairs for resting en route, thermoses and foot basins, even pots and small gas canisters. Staff mentioned that some participants even took foot baths during the latter half of the hike.
At 19:12 on October 27, “Goat” Uncle, nearly 60 years old, was the first to reach the final checkpoint at the Children’s Palace—and his time was over an hour faster than last year’s.
“I felt pretty good, and the time was within my expectations,” Goat explained. He said his endurance has always been strong, and he had even pre-run the full course before the event. “Walking is a joy for me. Coming in first isn’t anything to boast about.”
“A total of 36 people completed the full 100km course. The longest time taken was just over 23 hours—almost a full day and night,” Caiwei said. “The 100km hike isn’t about pushing your body to its limits or engaging in harsh self-mortification. For me, it’s a way to test my own willpower, and I believe this kind of perseverance carries over into other aspects of life,” one finisher told reporters.