For many, seeing the Great Wall of China is a lifelong dream.
Justin Walker has not only seen the Great Wall of China, he has experienced it in a way few can– he walked, ran, and climbed it during the Great Wall Marathon May 16.
As if that weren’t enough, the 1999 Brandon High School graduate won the race.
“Before I even moved to China, I thought, ‘This would be an awesome experience, and I think I can do well in a race like this,'” said Walker. “It is a tough race which helps for guys who aren’t fast like me. Last year, I was coaching track, so I missed it. I decided that I had to go this year because it was an experience of a lifetime.”
Walker, who has a doctorate degree in psychology, moved to China with his wife Sarah, two years ago to work at an international school as a counselor.
Both Justin and Sarah, whose maiden name is Pepera and who is also a BHS graduate, were runners in high school and college. Sarah continues to run, but not competitively, unlike Justin who has run 20 marathons since 2000, has finished three ultramarathons, and also completed the Ironman Triathlon. He won the Wyoming Marathon and his personal best for a marathon is 2:55, but he dislikes running marathons for record times.
“Once I was able to run under three hours, I just started running them for fun,” he said. “It is much more enjoyable to go to a race, run smart, talk with people, and recover quickly than it is to hammer for some arbitrary place. I like running more for the experience than the result.”
His finishing time in the Great Wall Marathon was 3:40:54, far off his personal record. But then again, this marathon was, as he says, “unique.”
In his favor was a cloudy day. Working against him prior to the race was a 3-hour bus ride to get there and lack of good food to eat the night before.
According to the Great Wall Marathon official website, www.great-wall-marathon.com, the first section of the course covers approximately 9 kilometers (5.4 miles) and takes runners up to, across and down the Great Wall of China. This part of the course is marked by steep ascents and descents of up to 10 percent and consists of thousands of steps. The second section of the course takes runners through picturesque villages and rice fields and is done on flat asphalt and gravel roads.
This second section was the most enjoyable for Walker, as Chinese children came out and sprinted to keep up.
“It was pretty uplifting to watch them charge along with these huge smiles on their faces,” he said. “Their families make less in a month than it cost me to enter this race, so it was pretty humbling to run through their villages and see where they live. Most people would get a boost in this situation, but I think I slow down. In the Philippines and Indonesia, I have had kids just leave their homes and join me on a run and I slow it down just to make it last as long as possible. You have 26.2 miles to suffer and regret your decision to run; might as well take advantage of the times out there where you feel fantastic and love life.”
While Walker was relaxed during the beginning of the run, he then became too anxious, trying to catch people too early and worrying about being caught. Once he let that go, he began having fun again, but it wouldn’t last. What he calls the biggest challenge by far lay near the end of the race, when he would have to run up, across, and down the Wall– for a second time.
“After 20 miles of running and already being on the Wall once, it came at the worst time,” recalled Walker. “Going up this part was much harder than coming down it the first time. The climb was long and difficult. My legs were on fire. After struggling across the Wall, there was a 3-4 kilometer downhill section. At that point in the race, a downhill section is more difficult than flat running. Your legs can’t brake anymore and you are just in pain struggling down the hill. It is pretty ironic if you think about it. I was praying for the end of the hill just to get on flat land again.”
Once he was in first place, he kept pushing to stay ahead. Once he left the Wall the second time, he knew he wouldn’t be caught, but he struggled to keep going.
“In my mind, I had already won, and I just wanted to stop running,” Walker said. “My stomach hurt and my legs were dying. It was great to be done.”
Justin and Sarah Walker returned to the United States last week with their baby daughter, Taelyn. Justin is looking forward to easier running conditions. In China, his diet was difficult to manage as he said everything there had oil, MSG, or was fried. Fruits and vegetables went bad quickly.
Running in a city of 14 million people was also a challenge, and many Chinese people would stare at him. He recalls a time earlier this year when he was running in just shorts, no shirt, with Sarah, nine months pregnant, running next to him.
“We got some looks then!” he said. “People stare so hard they crash their bikes into things. No shirt, iPod on, sweating like a pig– I look like a runner, right? Doesn’t stop numerous cabs from pulling over, asking if I need a ride. I mean, can’t you tell I am working out here? And really, do you want me in your cab like this?”
The Walkers will be in the Ortonville area for the next few weeks visiting family, before moving to Colorado, where Justin will be a school psychologist. This weekend, he will run a 50-mile ultramarathon with Rod Yeacker (see story, page 3) in Ohio, then his sights are set on the Leadville 100 in Colorado in August– a 100-mile race in the mountains that starts at 10,000 feet and goes up to about 12,500 feet. He thought the Great Wall would be a good “warm-up.”
Taking first place isn’t so bad, either.