The 2025 Xiwuqi Route 99 Marathon and King of the Grasslands Challenge welcomes a new participation record of already nearly 2000 people overall at the time of writing. Previously known as the Genghis Khan Festival, the newly formatted 3-day event proves that the grasslands of Xiwuqi in Inner Mongolia remain a major drawcard for amateur sports enthusiasts in the summer. The Route 99 Marathon, half marathon and fun run will welcome the highest number of people, while the road cycling races and the traditional MTB marathon have also attracted many hundreds of participants. The event kicks off on Friday with the sprint duathlon, reserved for participants in the King and Queen of the Grasslands Challenge – the special classification for those who aim to do everything this weekend.
On top of the regular competitions, there are also short races for kids and teenagers making it a weekend for family and everyone who enjoys spending time in the outdoors.
The Route 99 marathon is considered the highlight of the event and will also be livestreamed locally. It’s a course from A to B, starting in Xiwuqi’s town centre at Culture Square and heading towards the panoramic route 99 via the Mongolian Yurt City – which also hosts the finish of the half marathon race. Admittedly, it is not the easiest course for marathon runners. Especially in the second half, there is some extended uphill running and elevation gain to conquer. Plus, the wind – typical for the grasslands – can also play its role. The difficulty level is compensated, however, by majestic views of the rolling grasslands and its inhabitans – horses, goats, sheep, cows and even camels. With a bit of luck runners can spot an eagle and a fox, too.
Cyclists will also need to take the wind into account in both Speedy Xiwuqi 50km and Cyclo Xiwuqi 125km on Saturday afternoon and Sunday, respectively. Xiwuqi does not have any mountains, so these are races for riders of the big gears – as long as they have the endurance and the strength to fight against the wind.
The Xiwuqi MTB Challenge is a 81km MTB marathon, reminiscent of the old GKF festival. As it has been raining fairly much in the past days, mountainbikers can expect some muddy and slippery sections this year. Less ambitious people can also get an idea of what grassland riding is about on the shorter 28km MTB race.
But it all starts on Friday for the KOG participants with the 5km sprint duathlon. A bike-run-bike race to warm up the legs and raise the spirit for the rest of the weekend. Participants will start in 9 heats of maximum 25 person each, and the fastest 8 men and women in each bike category – road bike or MTB – qualify for the finals in the late afternoon.
