The 2026 GOLDEN TRAIL WORLD SERIES China Series season finale will fire the starting gun this Sunday at Siguniang Mountain. Every year, beneath the snow-capped peaks of western China, the top trail running elites come here for a true high-speed showdown.
Since its founding in 2018, the Golden Trail Series has gradually grown into one of the world's most influential short-course trail running series. After officially entering China in 2023, it quickly became an important bridge for Chinese trail running to connect with the international circuit.
Over the past two years, Siguniang Mountain has not only witnessed head-to-head confrontations between Chinese trail runners and the world's top athletes, but has also helped more and more overseas runners rediscover China's mountain courses.
All of this has gradually made Siguniang Mountain the most iconic venue within China’s Golden Trail Series.
The Golden Trail Series has long been regarded as 'the best trail running show in the world'; its requirements for a course combine competitiveness, spectacle, and media appeal. Siguniang Mountain happens to be one of the places in China that best embodies that spirit.
Compared with other four domestic stage races, Siguniang Mountain carries a higher competitive pedigree. The short 22 km course, with 1,407 m of cumulative ascent, blends alpine meadows, scree, forest dirt trails and sustained technical climbs and descents, placing very high demands on athletes' all‑round abilities.
The Siguniang Mountain course elevation ranges from 3,250 m to 4,074 m, which is also one of the biggest variables in the finals. The hypoxic environment here pushes the race into a high-intensity state right from the start. High altitude significantly magnifies the body's strain.
Even domestic top elites, when operating above 4,000 m, must constantly re-adjust their breathing rhythm and output intensity. That makes Siguniang Mountain one of the few trail running courses in the country that truly delivers a "world-class competitive feel."
At the same time, the Golden League inherently carries the DNA of high-speed trail running. Its shorter-distance, high-intensity format gives the races an almost built-in spectacle. Competitors are in a high-speed offensive and defensive mode almost from the start, with leads, chases and overtakes happening constantly.
The high altitude and complex terrain of Siguniang Mountain amplify that drama even further. That's why Siguniang Mountain is not just a trail race, but more like a showcase of China's trail running standards.
If you watched the live broadcast of the 2025 Golden League China Series final, you were surely struck by the Western Sichuan scenery captured on camera.
Snow-capped mountains, meadows, canyons, and alpine forests alternate, and elite competitors race through as if moving across a vast natural canvas. The rolling sea of clouds, the year-round snow on Yaomei Peak, and the distinctive sense of vastness in western Sichuan give the entire race an inherently cinematic visual impact.
Many international runners, after coming here for the first time, gain a new appreciation for Chinese trail running courses.
For a long time, although China has world-class mountain terrain for trail running, it lacked an international stage that could truly be seen by the world. The arrival of the Golden Trail Series China has, to some extent, changed that.
The Golden Trail Series itself is one of the world's most established and professional short-distance trail racing series; its broadcast language, event presentation and competitive rhythm are inherently better suited to mass media. Mount Siguniang, meanwhile, provides a sufficiently dramatic natural backdrop.
When the live cameras of the world’s top trail running broadcasts turn to the snow-capped mountains of western China, many overseas viewers — and even Chinese trail running fans — are discovering for the first time that China also has such mature, spectacular, and competitive mountain race venues.
Compared with traditional ultra-distance trail races, the Golden Trail Series' faster, high-speed character also makes events more spectator-friendly. That means broadcast cameras can more frequently capture the sport's true competitive qualities. Mount Siguniang's complex terrain and high-altitude environment further amplify that drama and sense of conflict.
As event broadcast systems have steadily upgraded in recent years, Mount Siguniang is gradually becoming one of China's most internationally visible venues for trail running.
This is not just a race—it’s a world-class calling card for China's mountains.
If the Siguniang Mountain course was already brutal, then this year’s biggest suspense in the final comes from the standings. Because the final uses a double points system, the last race can effectively rewrite the entire season’s final rankings.
On the men’s annual standings, Fan Banglin, Guan Yousheng and Meng Guangfu currently form the lead group. On the Lighthouse standings,Fan Banglin leads with 294 points, Guan Yousheng is second with 288 points; the two are the most likely to take the Lighthouse Program’s 200,000 champion prize.Among them, Fan Banglin remains the main focus.
Over the past two years, he has been one of the most consistent representatives in the China series of the Golden League. Last year, he not only won both the Lighthouse Program points table and the Golden League overall points title, but also the U23 title and finished runner-up in the Grand Final, ultimately earning total prize money of RMB 235,000 .
This year, Fan Banglin has continued to show dominant form; with victories at Trail Donghai and Jilongding, he currently has 200 points and leads the overall standings.
However, with Meng Guangfu's withdrawal, Fan Banglin's biggest pressure,comes from behind—from Guan Yousheng. This veteran of Chinese trail running, after taking a crucial victory at the Wulang Qingyang Shennongjia trail race, is closely trailing with 194 points; the two are only 6 points apart.
In other words, if the placings in the final change, the season champion could be completely rewritten. One is a young representative building a new-era dominance; the other is an experienced veteran who still maintains top-level competitiveness. Mount Siguniang is very likely to stage the most important showdown in Chinese trail running this year“Defend the Throne and Attack the Mountain”.
Outside the men's race, the women's competitionwaseven more closely contested.
In the annual standings,Chi Lingjie, Xiong Binbin and Wang Kaili finished tied, each with 194 points.
In the Lighthouse Program standings,Xiong Binbin with 282 points, currently in first, Chi Lingjie 277 points in second, Zhang Ting 276 points in third. The gap between them is essentially decided in a single race.
Last year, Xiong Binbin also delivered a dominant season. Not only did she claim the Golden League overall standings title, she also won the final, ultimately accumulating prize money of 240,000 yuan, becoming one of the standout female competitors of the entire series.
This year, she is stillthe one being challenged. Under the double-points system, the women's division this year is very likely to become the most fiercely contested final in recent years.
Who can withstand the pressure and successfully defend her title?
Who can pull off an upset at the final stop?
Who will become the new face of Chinese trail running this year?
Suspense andanswers will soon be revealed at Siguniang Mountain. On Saturday, May 30, stay tuned to the 跑野 live stream and witness a new historic moment together.
