China News Service, Taizhou, November 13 (Zhang Yicong) Starting from Taizhou Fucheng, crossing the Jiangnan Xiwang Valley and walking on the Kuocang Ridge - this is a "cross-country feast" for runners from all over the world in Linhai, Taizhou, Zhejiang. Recently, the 2026 Chaigu Tangsi Kuocang Cross-Country Race was held in Linhai, Taizhou, Zhejiang. This event attracted 340 overseas players from 34 countries and regions. After 11 years, the ridgeline of Kuocang Mountain in southern Zhejiang has left the footprints of runners from all over the world.
A few days ago, the contestants of Chaigu Downs started from the starting point. Photo courtesy of Linhai Municipal Party Committee Propaganda Department
Ancient cities and mountain trails lead to the world
“The track at Chaigu Downs is steep, changeable and extremely challenging.” American runner Jim Walmsley returned from injury this year and urgently needed a race to prove himself – he chose Chaigu Downs as his first stop.
Linhai is surrounded by mountains on three sides and faces the sea on one side. The main peak of Kuocang Mountain is more than 1,380 meters above sea level, making it the highest peak in southeastern Zhejiang. The biggest feature of the Chaigu Tangsi Kuocang track is that nearly 90% of it is an original mountain road with intensive uphill and downhill slopes and almost no flat roads.
For this reason, international players come in droves. Female runner Courtney Dauwalter, who has won the UTMB, Western 100, and Hard Rock 100 championships, chose Linhai to start her first race in China. However, the competition in the 50-kilometer group she participated in was fierce, and was called by the event organizing committee as "the highest level of overseas elites in Chaigu at present"-even though she was a Grand Slam player in international events, she failed to win the championship.
"This was a difficult challenge - the contestants were strong and the track competition was very difficult. I am very fortunate to have achieved satisfactory results despite trying my best." In the end, Swedish female runner Tove Alexandersson won the women's 50km championship despite two mistakes and falling. The scene of her crossing the line with both legs injured was touching.
At present, Chaigu Downs has been certified by ITRA and has been included in the UTMB points system. It is also a qualifying event for the Western 100 and is fully integrated with the international field. This means that when international players run a race near the sea, their points and results will directly enter the global ranking system; their participation sharing on overseas social accounts will expand the content of the event to a wider "circle of friends."
Recently, Chaigu Downs contestants high-fived the spectators. Photo courtesy of Linhai Municipal Party Committee Propaganda Department
Flow and retention become incremental
From the initial number of participants being less than 300, to the number of applicants exceeding 20,000 in 2025, today's Chaigu Downs is called by runners as "one of the cross-country races with the lowest registration winning rate." The gathering of people also brings consumption vitality - according to statistics, this event directly drove consumption of more than 40 million yuan (RMB, the same below), and indirectly drove global consumption to exceed 180 million yuan.
Behind the economic books is the cohesion of humanistic warmth. "Coming to Chaigu is more like attending a gathering of old friends." Bu Guanglong, the brand manager who has cooperated with Chaigu Downs for many years, said that the greatest value of the event is not only the exposure, but also the formation of a stable community of runners and emotional connections.
"The volunteers and I are all familiar with which sections of the road are prone to sprains and which corners have poor visibility." Chen Donghui, president of the Linhai Mountaineering Road Running Association, said that in order to ensure the safety of the event, 1,600 volunteers from the association carried out route reconnaissance and track optimization six months before the start of the race. With the support of all parties, the total number of event volunteers was nearly 4,000.
Outside the stadium, people in Linhai are also participating in this event in their own way. Whenever a contestant crosses the line, Aunt Chen, a merchant on Ziyang Street, is at the door of the shop, using a stainless steel washbasin and a rolling pin to beat the cheers; beside the Zhongjin Floating Bridge, the 81-year-old Grandma Zhu gives a thumbs up to the contestants. She has never been absent in the past 11 years.
What’s interesting is that the city of Linhai is also warmly entertaining the runners - the top ten in each category have free lifetime access to Taizhou Fucheng Cultural Tourism Zone; all scenic spots are open to runners free of charge during the competition, and 60 catering merchants and 17 "Hundred County Thousand Bowls" food stores have prepared exclusive benefits for runners; the supply station is arranged in a "one-stop, one-stop" manner, with seaweed cakes, egg white lamb tails, black rice, mochi, and steaming glutinous rice...
A few days ago, Chaigu Downs contestants were climbing in the wild. Photo courtesy of Linhai Municipal Party Committee Propaganda Department
Cities and events grow into brands
"The combination of ancient cultural heritage, creative events and live broadcasts is particularly interesting." This year, for the first time, Chaigu Downs Live Broadcast will be bilingual in Chinese and English, and will be broadcast on both domestic and overseas platforms - Martin Gaffuri, a professional commentator from France, will not only broadcast the live game results to the big screens on the streets of Linhai, but also simultaneously deliver them to live screens around the world.
Players come in and walk out loudly - this is the first step for Chaigu Downs to become an international brand in the "new decade". The relevant person in charge of Linhai Sports Development Center said that the local area will continue to follow the high-quality route and make the events more refined and better. With the help of the event platform, many Chinese brands have connected with overseas runners, and their products and reputation have gone overseas; local Taizhou companies have also "taken advantage of the ladder" to break out of the global circle. The event operator said that through live broadcasts, short videos, and content distribution on overseas social platforms, Chai Gu Tangs is not only a name for Chinese events to go overseas, but also a cultural symbol with purpose, connotation, and scenery.
"Zhejiang has held 73 cross-country events this year, making it one of the provinces with the most cross-country events in the country." Che Jieqiong, director of the Mass Sports Department of the Zhejiang Provincial Sports Bureau, said that Chaigu Downs can successfully host an international-level cross-country event, which is inseparable from a sentimental and professional event operating company, a supporting project association, a team of professional volunteers who have been systematically trained, an open and inclusive government, and hospitable citizens and communities.
2026 is the eleventh year that Chaigu Tangs will be held in Linhai. Since then, the event has been divided into two seasons - the Kuocang cross-country race in the autumn and the Langlangtan cross-country race at the turn of spring and summer. The linkage of mountains and seas and east-west driving Linhai continues to climb towards the "City of Outdoor Sports in China".
