CPA on the run

Editor's note: MACPA member Art Blume recently traveled to Beijing to participate in the Great Wall Marathon, a unique event at one of the world's most famous landmarks. He submitted the following article as a way of sharing the experience with fellow MACPA members.

By Art Blume, CPA

Six a.m. Aug. 30, 2001. Sixty runners, half asleep, board a tour bus at the Sino-Swiss Hotel in Beijing for a two-hour ride through the Chinese countryside to the Great Wall at Jin Shan Ling, site of the start of the Great Wall Marathon.

The runners had been briefed by the tour leader at the pre-race pasta party the night before about the hazards of running on the Great Wall — climbing thousands of steps, descending ladders, crawling through tunnels, leaping over broken sections. This was not your typical marathon.

The field of runners included men and women from six countries — Germany, Austria, the United States, Italy, Great Britain and Denmark. Upon arrival at the wall, final instructions were given, along with the signal to start the race.

The conditions on race day were brutal. In addition to the daunting terrain, the temperature was 35 degrees Celsius, or 95 degrees Fahrenheit, with a heat index much higher than that.

The course consisted of a closed loop of 10 kilometers. Runners had to run the loop four times. At the conclusion of the race, an awards ceremony — complete with Olympic theme music — was held, with the finishers receiving trophies and certificates. There also were massages available for those with sore muscles. Then all returned to the hotel by bus for a post-race celebration.

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