Summary
The 2026 Chongli 168 Ultra Trail took place in Chongli District, Hebei Province, attracting 12,000 runners from 26 countries and regions, including 204 elite athletes. The event featured nine distance groups, with the flagship ‘Chongli 168’ course covering 170.7km and 8,292m of elevation gain, passing through Winter Olympic landmarks such as ‘Snow Ruyi’. During the 2025 event week, 170,400 tourists visited, tourism revenue exceeded 168 million yuan, and hotel occupancy rates in the district surpassed 95%.
Alessio Ponzi, head of World Athletics’ running division, said China is becoming an important country shaping the future of trail running. Future events will establish training bases and convert short-term traffic into year-round operations.
Commentary
Chongli 168 has grown from a niche event with 2,000 participants in 2017 to an Asian benchmark this year with 12,000 runners. It attracted 170,000 tourists and generated tourism revenue of 168 million yuan in a single week, successfully activating summer vitality of Winter Olympic venues. Global trail running participation has exceeded 20 million, and China’s explosive growth is prompting international brands to accelerate their presence.
For New Zealand small and medium enterprise owners, two points stand out. First, the demand for equipment and nutritional products driven by the event, such as New Zealand manuka honey and whey protein, which are natural functional products that could explore cooperation with the event. Second, Chongli’s model of converting ski slopes into training bases and linking multiple ski resorts with an ‘event plus vacation’ approach offers a year-round operational idea for New Zealand’s South Island resorts, which likewise suffer from a three-season dependency on one season.
Once the trail system becomes regularised, long-term outdoor consumption scenarios will lower the barriers for cross-border cooperation, rather than relying solely on short-term event traffic.
Keywords: Chongli 168 Ultra Trail, Chongli, trail running, outdoor sports, Winter Olympics, sports tourism, event economy, industry chain, year-round operations
Source: Xinhua Net
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