Zhang Huohua wins the 105km race at Tsaigu Trail on November 2, 2025 in East China's Zhejiang Province. Photos: Courtesy of Zhang Huohua

 
Chinese runner Zhang Huohua was moved to tears after winning the grueling 105 km race at the 2025 Tsaigu Trail in Linhai, East China's Zhejiang Province.

With a total elevation gain of 6,583 meters, Zhang was the first to cross the finish line, clocking 11 hours, 19 minutes, and 49 seconds. He became the first athlete to take Tsaigu's longest-distance title twice after his 2023 victory. After withdrawing from three major races earlier this year due to injuries, the emotions poured out at the finish.

Falling to eighth place at 40km, the 27-year-old briefly considered dropping out. He later found his rhythm, retook the lead. He attributed his comeback to his ability to race on courses with big climbs and big descents.

"Participating in the Tsaigu Trail this year truly meant something different to me. It was the 10th anniversary of the race and there were many top athletes, making the competition incredibly intense. This was arguably the most competitive edition in the history of the 100-kilometer race in China," Zhang told the Global Times. 

Zhang said his 2023 maiden win is just as meaningful as 2025. "It shows that my performance has continued to improve, and it proves that I have the ability to keep up and stay competitive even in such an intense field. I dream of becoming one of the best trail runners in the world." 

Marking its 10th anniversary, this year's event is the largest Tsaigu Trail since it was founded in 2015, drawing a record 6,000 participants including nearly 500 from abroad and over 20,000 registrations. The race consists of three categories: 105 km, 50 km, and 25 km. The schedule has been expanded from two days to three, enabling a first-ever "Grand Slam" category, where runners complete one race category per day. More than 200 ultra-hardcore runners signed up for this challenge.

In the 50 km category, with an elevation gain of more than 2,629 meters, rising Chinese talent Fan Banglin won in 4 hours, 14 minutes, and 33 seconds, Xinhua reported. 

In the speed-focused 25 km, Swiss star Remi Bonnet crossed the finish line first in his debut at Tsaigu, clocking 1 hour, 47 minutes, and 24 seconds.

Resilience and redemption

According to data from the International Trail Running Association, China has ranked first in the world in recent years in both the growth rate of trail running events and the number of participants, with the number of races showing explosive growth. Statistics from the running platform "Joyrun" show that in 2024, China hosted 505 trail running events—nearly seven times more than a decade ago, when there were only 65.

Over the past decade, the Tsaigu Trail has evolved from a local county-level race into a national, and then international event. Registrations from home and abroad have surged as organization improves year by year. It has established a world-class platform for international exchange and engagement in the trail-running community.

Tsaigu Trail comes from a homophonic play on the phrase 'breaking bones and lying dead in local dialect of Linhai of Taizhou City. It implies that the race is extremely intense and challenging: finishing it feels like you've been beaten up.

Growing enthusiasm for running, cycling, skiing and other pursuits reflects the thriving development of China's outdoor sports industry. 

According to the report released in October on China's outdoor sports industry development at a  conference in Dali, Southwest China's Yunnan Province, outdoor-sports participants in China exceeded 400 million as of April, making the sector a key driver of the sports economy. 

Overall economic and social development, high-level international sporting events, and favorable government policies have fueled the rapid growth of outdoor sports, Luo Le, a sports scholar at Beijing University of Chemical Technology, told the Global Times.

Urbanization is also driving a desire to reconnect with nature. The new landscape mirrors China's changing attitudes toward health, leisure, and quality of life, said Luo.

"If you're a trail running beginner, I would suggest starting with shorter distances first, such as 10 to 20 kilometers. Trail running is demanding, and you need to progress step by step," he advised. 

To become an elite runner, Zhang plans to target top international events such as the Golden Trail World Series and the 2027 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships to be held in Cape Town, South Africa.

About 1200 runners from more than 80 countries will compete in the 2027 championships, while over 2,000 runners set for the mass-participation events.

Chinese runner Zhang Huohua Photo: Courtesy of Zhang Huohua