Ultra Gobi 400KM

The ultimate test of endurance and will in the wild, untamed Gobi Desert.

🗓️ NEXT EDITION: ANNOUNCEMENT SOON | 📍 GOBI DESERT, CHINA

The Ultra Gobi 400km is China's first ultra-distance, nonstop, self-navigated, self-supported endurance race. 400 kilometers through one of the most remote landscapes on earth, alone, with nothing but what you can carry.

Since 2015, the event has been held 7 times. 266 runners from 27 countries across 5 continents have stood at the start line. Not all of them finished. The Chinese name "八百流沙" (800 Li of Quicksand, where 800 Li converts to 400km) refers to the vast desert stretching from Guazhou to Hami in Northwest China, a passage that travellers have feared and revered for over a thousand years.


At a Glance

Distance: 400km

Cutoff: 140 hours

Navigation: Self-navigated via personal GPS device

Support: Self-supported between rest stations

Participants: 50 athletes per edition

Total event duration: Approx. 9 days

Terrain: Desert, gravel, sand, rocky passages, dry riverbeds

Difficulty: Extreme. Open only to experienced ultra-distance runners.

Total elevation gain: Approx. 3,000m

Format: Solo, nonstop

The Course

The 400km course changes every year. That is part of the concept. The organizing team remeasures and redesigns the route for each edition to protect the natural environment and keep the challenge fresh for returning runners.

Over 80% of the course crosses uninhabited terrain. Participants navigate via GPS using checkpoint coordinates provided before the race. The organizing committee provides a recommended route connecting each checkpoint, but runners are free to chart their own path between them.

Underfoot, the terrain shifts constantly: firm desert plains, gravel tracks, dry riverbeds, sand sections, rocky passages, and at higher elevations, alpine meadows and canyon crossings. There are no long technical trails, but the variety of surfaces demands constant adaptability.

📎 GPX and KML files will be published before each edition.

On the Course

Planning & Logistics

Registration & Pricing

Hall of Fame: the 2025 podium

WHAT PAST PARTICIPANTS ARE SAYING

Destination

The race originated in Dunhuang, located in the Gansu Province of Northwest China. The area is known as the “Hexi Corridor” and the “golden section” of the ancient Silk Road, with rich and unique natural, cultural and historical resources.

Two of the UNESCO world heritage sites are located along the Ultra Gobi 400km racecourse, the Xuanquanzhi Posthouse, and the Suoyang City Ruins.

 

FAQs

Relive the 2025 Ultra Gobi 400km

Final Race Leaderboard:
https://www.geexek.com/score/score?Y2lkPTI5NzM2

Photo Stream and Image Gallery: Images from the racecourse, the finish line and beyond: https://live.photoplus.cn/live/15768755

YouTube Live Shows and Race Highlights: Re-watch our daily YouTube Show and relive the action day by day: https://www.youtube.com/@Ultra-Gobi

2025 Race Highlights

Relive the action of the 2024 edition day by day with our video series below or on our YouTube channel.