The Jinshanling Great Wall Trail Race, the seventh and final stop of the Golden Trail World Series 2026 (GTWS) before the grand final in South Korea, once again underlined Patrick Kipngeno’s (Run2Gether On Trail) dominance in Asia. The Kenyan got his sixth victory in the GTWS races on the continent, while his compatriot Ruth Gitonga (Run2Gether On Trail) celebrated his first victory on the circuit after an excellent comeback in the last kilometers.
With the shocking setting of the Great Wall of China – one of the New 7 Wonders of the World – both victories were based on patience and intelligent management of the race, with Kipngeno and Gitonga waiting for their time before taking control when it mattered most and stripping themselves of their rivals in the decisive final stages.
In the men’s race, Philemon Kiriago (Run2Gether On Trail) finished second and strengthened his lead in the overall standings, helped by valuable bonus points collected in the segments. Joey Hadorn (Salomon) completed the podium after playing a leading role for much of the race and hitting the front as the runners crossed the Great Wall.
In the women’s race, Hanna Groeber (IRCZRH) finished second after leading from the early stages. A fall in the second half of the race left her with pain in her left arm and hindered her chances in the decisive closing kilometers, where Gitonga completed her return to take the victory. Caroline Kimutai (Salomon) completed the podium, accumulating valuable points that bring her back to a surprising distance from the overall advantage.
The Kenyan remains undefeated in the Great Wall
In Jinshanling, nestled in the Yan Mountains just over two hours from Beijing, is one of the most spectacular and best preserved sections of the Great Wall of China. This remarkable scenario provides the backdrop for a loop course that combines the historic steps of the Great Wall with a relentless second half of ups and downs on dry, sandy and technical terrain. Instead of offering a decisive climb, the 24-kilometer course with 1,889 meters of elevation gain offers a constant test of endurance, with very few chances to recover.
The uphill segment (1.1 km to 16.6%) marked the entry of the runners in the Great Wall and one of the most spectacular segments of the route. Philemon Kiriago was the fastest, registering 8:08 to accumulate 10 valuable bonus points towards the overall classification. But it was Joey Hadorn who once again showed his technical ability in the descents, making the most of the steep sections of the Great Wall to emerge from it at the front of the race.
The sprint segment, with 64 meters of climbing and 53 meters of descent in just 1.7 kilometers and alternating between sections inside and outside the Great Wall, was also for Kiriago, who completed it in 8:54. Ahead, Michael Selelo (Run2Gether On Trail) approached the front of the race, while Kiriago and Patrick Kipngeno remained patient, still about two minutes behind the leaders.
Once outside the Great Wall, the gaps began to narrow. In the following kilometers, the four men at the front gradually approached and, after the descent segment (1.3 km in an average gradient of -17.9%) at kilometer 15.8, Kiriago and Kipngeno had reduced their deficit to just 30 seconds. The segment itself, however, belonged to a family name. As he had done a week earlier on Myoko Trail in Japan, descent specialist Anders Kjaerevic (VJ-shoes/Saysky) once again set the fastest time, stopping the clock at 4:24.
The patience of Kiriago and Kipngeno finally paid off in the last kilometers as they caught the leaders. But the ending followed a familiar script from the previous week in Japan. Kipngeno reached the decisive stage with more left in the tank and, as the gradient rose again, he made his move. The Kenyan cleared himself on his own when Kiriago began to lose ground on the climb.
Kipngeno crossed the finish line at 2:12:30, getting another victory in China and improving his time from the previous year by 30 seconds. After his victories in 2024 and in the Great Wall in 2025, the Kenyan further extended his dominance in the Asian rounds of the Golden Trail World Series. Kiriago finished second, 1:54 behind, with Hadorn third at 3:12, producing exactly the same podium as in 2025.
The grand final will be on October 24 and 25, the women’s race will take place on October 24, before the men’s race ends the season on October 25. The Grand Final will bring together the top 30 men and women in the general classification after the seven regular season races, along with the winners of the Golden Trail National Series (GTNS) in China and the Golden Trail National Championship in Australia, France, Italy, Poland, Spain, the Czech Republic and Mexico.