Nizhu River trail challenge concludes in Xuanwei city

The 2026 "Wumeng Summit · Nizhu River Canyon" Trail Challenge came to a conclusion in the Puli township of Xuanwei county-level city, east Yunnan’s Qujing city, on November 8.

More than a thousand trail running enthusiasts gathered in the heartland of the Wumeng Mountains, completing a run that combined extreme challenge with human warmth among the cliff-lined gorges carved open by geological forces.

The running course integrates great rivers, gorges, forests, and waterfalls, with a cumulative elevation gain of over 3,000 meters. The course has received three certificates, including those from the International Trail Running Association (ITRA) and the UTMB INDEX race index.

During the trail challenge, the runners took the well-known “Sky School Bus”, which consists of a cable car and two cliff elevators as high as 288 meters. The elevators allowed the athletes to experience sharp climate difference, seeing subtropical vegetation and alpine meadows within a few minutes.

"The course is difficult, with a large climb in the first half. You have to allocate your energy properly, so that you can save strength for a sprint in the second half," said 50km elite runner Gu Rongchao.

Yunnan local elite runner Zhao Fufen saw this canyon as a secret realm: "The climbing is a big challenge. When you stop and look back down, the vast sea of mist between the mountains is what the trail runners enjoy most."

In the most challenging 50km elite group, the men's champion Gu Rongchao took the title in 05:23:16, while the women's champion was won by Zhao Fufen in 06:32:11.

The 35km challenge saw Liu Zhisen win the men's title in 03:31:51, and Yao Haiyan secured the women's champion in 04:33:20.

Reporting by Wang Lin; Photos by Publicity Department of the CPC Xuanwei Municipal Committee