JD Ultra-Trail Great Wall by UTMB®
JD Ultra-Trail Great Wall by UTMB® – MGW50
Dajingmen
Race guide
Updated 19 July 2026
The JD Ultra-Trail Great Wall by UTMB – MGW50 is a 52 km mountain loop out of Dajingmen, packing 1,802 m of climbing into a course that tops out at 1,322 m — the highest point of any of the event's distances. It is a compact but serious mountain race, linking the ridgetop villages above the Great Wall through a sequence of sharp climbs and descents with almost no flat ground to recover on. From the start at Dajingmen (810 m) the route climbs quickly into the hills and works its way through Sicha, Huangtuyao, Tujingzi, Qinghe and Cuiping'An before dropping back to the finish. With five checkpoints across 52 km and a high point above 1,300 m, the MGW50 rewards runners who can climb repeatedly and stay strong on technical descents. This guide covers the course shape, the decisive climbs, and how to pace the day against the cut-offs.
The Course & Terrain
The MGW50 is a loop from Dajingmen (810 m) back to Dajingmen (798 m) via five checkpoints. It opens with the climb to Sicha Village at 990 m by 7.9 km, continues to Huangtuyao Village at 956 m (14.2 km), then makes its biggest push up to Tujingzi Village at 1,180 m by 25.9 km — close to the course high point of 1,322 m. From there it works through Qinghe Village (1,081 m, 33.2 km) and Cuiping'An Village (977 m, 42.6 km) before the descent home. This is genuine Great Wall mountain terrain — rugged ridge paths and village tracks that rise and fall constantly. The MGW50 shares much of its route with the longer CGW70 but concentrates the climbing: 1,802 m over 52 km means an unusually steep overall gradient for the distance. Every checkpoint sits at a markedly different altitude, so the course is effectively a chain of ascents and descents with little runnable flat between them.
Where the Race Is Won or Lost
The heart of the MGW50 is the long climb to Tujingzi Village at 1,180 m by 25.9 km. After the opening rises to Sicha and Huangtuyao, the course pushes up toward its 1,322 m high point around the middle of the race — the single biggest sustained effort of the day and the point where the field separates. Reaching Tujingzi with the legs intact is the key to a strong second half. From the high ground the route undulates down through Qinghe (1,081 m) and Cuiping'An (977 m) before the final descent to the 798 m finish at Dajingmen. This back section is where good pacing pays: the drop of roughly 200 m from Cuiping'An to the line is runnable and rewards anyone who held back on the climb to Tujingzi. The classic mistake is attacking the early climbs to Sicha and Huangtuyao too hard, then fading on the sustained pull to the high point — with 1,802 m to climb in 52 km, there is nowhere to hide from that error.
Pacing & Fuelling to the Cut-offs
The cut-offs are Huangtuyao Village at Sat 09:00, Qinghe Village at Sat 14:00, Cuiping'An at Sat 16:30 and the Dajingmen finish at Sat 20:00. The gaps are generous enough for a steady runner but tighten through the climbing-heavy middle, so the plan is to reach Qinghe — just past the high point — with a comfortable buffer, because the earlier the effort is banked, the less it costs later. Aid spacing runs from about 6 km to a longest carry of roughly 11.7 km between Huangtuyao and Tujingzi — which is also the biggest climb of the course, so fill up completely at Huangtuyao and carry enough fluid and calories to cover that block. Eat steadily on the climbs rather than waiting for the descents, and use the descent from Cuiping'An to the finish to run efficiently rather than empty. Managing effort on the Tujingzi climb is the single biggest lever on your finishing time and your margin over the 20:00 cut-off.
Conditions to Expect
With the high point at 1,322 m and cut-offs running from morning to a Sat 20:00 finish, the MGW50 is largely a daytime mountain race, but conditions at altitude can still be cold and windy on the exposed ridges around Tujingzi and Qinghe. Carry a warm layer and a light shell, and be ready for the higher checkpoints to feel considerably colder than the Dajingmen start. The terrain is the defining challenge: sustained climbs and technical descents on rugged mountain trail, where footing needs care when the legs tire late in the loop. Weather in the Great Wall hills can change through the day, and the descents — especially the final drop from Cuiping'An to Dajingmen — are where fatigue most often shows. Prepare for a demanding, climb-dense day on real mountain ground, and treat the descents with the same respect as the ascents.
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Checkpoints & cut-offs
✓ Course data verified against the official source (2026-07-17) · official source
0 km · 810 m · —
7.9 km · 990 m · —
14.2 km · 956 m · Sat 09:00
25.9 km · 1180 m · —
33.2 km · 1081 m · Sat 14:00
42.6 km · 977 m · Sat 16:30
52 km · 798 m · Sat 20:00
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