Ultra-Trail Mount Yun by UTMB®
Ultra-Trail Mount Yun by UTMB® – EMY 20K
Zhonghe Square in Mount Yun → Zhonghe Square
Race guide
Updated 19 July 2026
The EMY is the 20 km distance at Ultra-Trail Mount Yun by UTMB®, a loop that starts and finishes at Zhonghe Square. Despite its short billing, it is a proper mountain course: 1445 m of positive climbing over 22 km, rising from 657 m at the square to a high point of 1386 m. Unlike the longer Mount Yun races that grind out their vertical over endless rollers, EMY concentrates its climbing into essentially one big ascent and one big descent, which gives it a clean, decisive shape. That structure makes EMY approachable but not easy. Nearly all of the day's effort is front-to-middle loaded on the way up to the high ground near Qingye, after which the course tips over and heads back down to the finish. It rewards a runner who can climb patiently and then descend well, and with a comfortable overall time limit it works as a strong first mountain race or a sharp, high-quality shorter effort for those stepping down in distance.
The course: a 22 km loop built around one climb
EMY leaves Zhonghe Square (0 km, 657 m), passes Babao Palace (9.6 km, 770 m), reaches Qingye (15.3 km, 1367 m) and loops back to finish at Zhonghe Square (21.9 km, 658 m). The elevation story is simple and telling: the first 9.6 km to Babao Palace gains only modest net height (657 m to 770 m), then the course climbs hard from Babao to Qingye — from 770 m up to 1367 m, close to the 1386 m high point — before descending nearly 700 m back to the finish. With 1445 m of total gain over 22 km, most of that vertical is stacked into the middle push to Qingye. This makes EMY a race of two distinct halves. The opening leg to Babao Palace is the gentler, more runnable section where you settle in; the stretch from Babao to Qingye is the sustained climb that defines the day; and the run home is a long descent that gives all that height back. Knowing the shape in advance is a real advantage — you can meter your effort for the big climb instead of burning it on the easier early kilometres.
Where the race is decided: the climb to Qingye
The decisive section is the ascent from Babao Palace (9.6 km, 770 m) to Qingye (15.3 km, 1367 m). In under 6 km the course gains close to 600 m of net height and reaches the day's high ground, so this is where the race is genuinely made or lost. Arrive at Babao having run the first 9.6 km sensibly and you can attack this climb with something in reserve; arrive already tired from pushing the runnable opening and the ascent to Qingye becomes a long, demoralising slog. From Qingye the course descends roughly 700 m over the final 6.6 km back to Zhonghe Square (658 m). That closing descent is where a well-managed race pays off: fresh-enough legs can run it strongly, while quads cooked on the climb will struggle to hold pace. The tactical plan is straightforward — run the first leg within yourself, hike the steep pitches up to Qingye efficiently, and save enough to descend the final third with control.
Pacing and fuelling around the cut-offs
EMY runs on Sunday with a checkpoint cut-off at Babao Palace of 12:00 and a finish cut-off at Zhonghe Square of 16:00. That gives a generous window overall, and the practical target is to reach Babao Palace with enough margin to tackle the climb to Qingye without racing the clock. Because the hardest work sits between Babao and the finish, the Babao cut-off is the checkpoint to keep an eye on — clear it in good time and the rest of the course is yours to manage. For fuelling, Babao Palace at 9.6 km is the one intermediate checkpoint, so plan to be self-sufficient for the roughly 9.6 km out and again for the 12.3 km loop back over the high point. Top up fully at Babao before committing to the Qingye climb, since there is nothing else before the finish and the ascent will draw heavily on your energy. Eat and drink steadily from the start rather than waiting for the climb — going into the big ascent already fuelled is what keeps the final descent runnable.
Conditions to expect
EMY tops out at 1386 m, high enough to feel like real mountain terrain but not so high that altitude becomes a limiting factor. The main variable is the exposure and effort of the central climb: a single sustained ascent to the high ground near Qingye, followed by a long descent. The Sunday cut-off times (12:00 at Babao Palace, 16:00 at the finish) point to a daytime race, so most runners will complete the loop in daylight without needing to plan around darkness. Because the course concentrates its vertical into one climb and one descent, the best preparation is training that pairs sustained climbing with confident downhill running — the ascent to Qingye rewards steady climbing legs, and the drop back to Zhonghe Square rewards quads that can hold form on a long descent. Keep your kit and fuelling matched to the single-checkpoint structure, run the runnable opening within yourself, and EMY delivers a clean, satisfying mountain loop rather than an over-reach.
Race Ultra-Trail Mount Yun by UTMB® – EMY 20K with Crux
Get the strategy, fuelling and crew plan dialled for this exact course — built from the real route, climbs and cut-offs. Your first race is free.
Plan this race — freeCourse profile
Checkpoints & cut-offs
✓ Course data verified against the official source (2026-07-17) · official source
0 km · 657 m · —
9.6 km · 770 m · Sun 12:00
15.3 km · 1367 m · —
21.9 km · 658 m · Sun 16:00
More races
More UTMB World Series
More in China
Similar distance (20–50 km)
Racing Ultra-Trail Mount Yun by UTMB® – EMY 20K?
Get a complete race strategy — pacing, fuelling, crew plan and the crux moments — built on this exact course.
Plan your race in Crux →Strava is your training. Crux is your races.