Guizhou to kick off cross-country challenge during May Day holiday

Medals for the 10 stages of the cross-country challenge. [Photo/ddcpc website]

The inaugural race of the "Guizhou Red – Mountain and River Cross-Country Challenge" will kick off on ‌May 2‌ in Zhaoxing Dong village, Liping county, Southwest China's Guizhou province, continuing with the triathlon format (running, cycling, and swimming or paddleboarding).

This year, the event will expand to ‌10 stages‌, each located in historic sites across Guizhou: Liping, Bijie, Jiangkou, Zhenning, Xingren, Xishui, Libo, Panzhou, Huaxi, and Zunyi. The competition introduces categories such as elite group, public group, fun run, and a newly added ‌scenic experience run‌. The China Triathlon Sports Association has certified all 10 stages.

As the first stage, Liping will feature a ‌duathlon of cycling and running. Participants in competitive categories must be aged ‌18-60‌, while the scenic experience run‌ welcomes ages ‌6-60‌. The distances are 48 kilometers for elite group, 24 km for public group and public relay, 6 km for fun run, and 3 km for scenic experience run.

Spectators can register on-site for the fun run and scenic experience run, blending sports with tourism to explore Zhaoxing Dong village's cultural landscape.

This pioneering event series is China's ‌longest-duration, longest-distance, and largest-scale‌ innovative sports event integrating revolutionary heritage. Since its debut on Oct 2, 2024, it has expanded across all nine Guizhou prefectures, offering diverse participation options while embedding deeper cultural significance through Red Army history.