Guangyuan Municipal People's Government
Guangyuan, Sichuan, is the heartland of the ancient Shu Roads, steeped in the profound and vibrant culture of the Three Kingdoms. Hosted by the Guangyuan Municipal People's Government, Ultra-Trail Shudao by UTMB(R) 2026 was held from November 6 to 8. Nearly 8,000 runners from 34 countries and regions flocked to Guangyuan, embarking on a mountain trail journey blending competition, history, culture, and nature along the millennia-old Shu Roads.
The Grand Shu Roads connect the Guanzhong Plain with the Sichuan Basin and boast a history of more than 3,000 years. The Jianmen Shu Road, its core section, is a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level and one of China's first national-level scenic areas. Here, Jianmen Pass is renowned for being "impregnable to one man, impassable to ten thousand", where the history of the Three Kingdoms and the poem Hard Is the Road to Shu converge. The ancient cypresses of the Cuiyun Corridor stretch for miles, lush and verdant, while Zhaohua Ancient Town carries the profound legacy of the Three Kingdoms and the memories of centuries past.
As a key race of the UTMB(R) World Series, the event was guided by the principle of "minimizing artificial hardscaping and preserving the pristine mountain wilderness", weaving Cuiyun Corridor, Zhaohua Ancient Town, and Tianxiong Pass into an open-air museum without walls. Runners raced along the ancient post roads, traversing the precipitous Jianmen Pass and numerous Three Kingdoms-era relics. As the mountain breeze swept past, a scroll of history seemed to unfurl - Zhang Fei's night battle with Ma Chao and Liu Bei's march into Yizhou. Every step carried people across a thousand years of culture.
Along the course, local delicacies such as Chaotian walnut cakes, Guangyuan steamed cold noodles, and Wangcang hot and sour noodles were served in turn, fueling runners from home and abroad with a uniquely down-to-earth "Taste of Guangyuan".
UTMB(R) (Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc), founded in 2003, is one of the world's most prestigious ultra-trail races. The event featured four competition categories - DSD100K, CSD70K, MSD50K, and ESD20K - offering both 100-kilometer long-distance challenges and mass-participation short-distance experiences, with domestic and international runners competing side by side.
The event put ecology first and followed leave-no-trace practices, protecting the ancient cypress groves of the Cuiyun Corridor and the pristine landscape of the Shu Roads. With a top-tier trail race as a bridge, Guangyuan is advancing the deep integration of sports, cultural tourism, and Three Kingdoms culture, making the ancient Shu Roads a vivid window for exchanges and mutual learning among Chinese and foreign civilizations.