On July 11 (Beijing time), after a long night, the men's and women's individual winners in the Chongli 168 category at the ACG 2026 Chongli 168 Super Trail Race finally emerged.
Zhao Jiaju finished in 19:01:32 to take the Chongli 168 men's title.
Chen Lin finished in 22:46:17 to claim the Chongli 168 women's title.
The Chongli 168 category (distance 172.8 km, 7,944 m ascent) started at 08:00 on July 10. This year, Typhoon "Bavi" affected the area, bringing strong convective weather and afternoon downpours that had a significant impact on the race.
However, both winners, Zhao Jiaju and Chen Lin, staged comebacks in the heavy rain.
01
Zhao Jiaju breaks the course record, claims his fourth Chongli crown
The men's 100-mile battle unfolded as expected, with the title fight focused on last year's champion Ionel Manole, Chongli three-time king Zhao Jiaju and Luo Canhua. During the daytime they remained in a tight contest.
After leaving CP8 Heping Rest Station, Ionel Manole pushed the pace and on the 9.6 km, 584 m ascent to CP9 Cuiyun Mountain Peak Restaurant he at one point extended his lead to nearly 10 minutes.
However, under the subsequent heavy rain, Zhao Jiaju seemed to regain form and launched a furious chase. By the time he reached CP10 Yunding Ski Park he had erased his deficit and moved into the lead. At that CP there was a small episode: with the downpour soaking all the runners, both Ionel Manole and Luo Canhua tried to change clothes inside the aid station but were ultimately stopped by race officials.
After CP10 Yunding Ski Park Zhao Jiaju settled into a steady rhythm, keeping roughly a five-minute advantage. From there he grew stronger and extended his lead, while his teammate Luo Canhua unfortunately withdrew at CP13 Wanlong Ski Resort.
Amid the torrential rain, the event saw its first individual finisher of ACG 2026 Chongli 168 — Zhao Jiaju, who has now achieved the remarkable feat of becoming a four-time Chongli champion.
Zhao Jiaju broke the Chongli 168 course record with a time of 19:01:32, beating his previous mark of 19:28:41 set in 2020, when the runner-up was his then-teammate Liang Jing.
Romanian Ionel Cristian Manole, who battled with Zhao throughout the night, finished second in 19:16:55, returning to the Chongli podium.
Wu Chengkun, who broke through the heavy rain, was the third 100-mile finisher in 21:09:20, showcasing his dark-horse credentials.
02
Chen Lin overturns in the rain, successfully defends the Chongli 168 title
The women's race centered on "the Great Demon King" Chi Lingjie and "Gege Lin" Chen Lin. Early on Zhao Fufen took the lead, but she was overtaken by Chi Lingjie at CP5 Duolemeidi after 59 km, and later by Chen Lin.
At the kit-change point CP7 Xueruyi, Chi Lingjie held about a five-minute lead, but Chen Lin performed strongly on the climb to CP9 Cuiyun Mountain Peak Restaurant, reversing the situation and arriving at CP10 Yunding Ski Park three minutes ahead of Chi.
Chi Lingjie showed as withdrawn shortly after leaving CP10 Yunding Ski Park. With that, Chen Lin's lead became more secure, and second-place Zhao Fufen and third-place Qin Meiqing were still more than 45 minutes behind.
In the race's second half, intermittent heavy rain tested all competitors and Chen Lin appeared to slow slightly. In the end, Chen Lin delivered a steady performance to claim another Chongli title with a comfortable margin, placing eighth overall. Her winning time of 22:46:17 was one hour faster than her Chongli victory last year.
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Text / Editor: David
Image source: RUNYEAH
Visuals: Max
