The 800 Liusha Extreme Race: Crossing a 400-Kilometer Ultimate Journey

At 2:19 PM on October 9th, in Guazhou County, Gansu Province, China, as the last participant Wang Shouhui crossed the finish gate at Gobi Qingquan, the 2025 800 Liusha Extreme Race officially concluded. This 400-kilometer extreme journey across the "Moheyanqi" desert of the ancient Silk Road attracted 55 top endurance runners from 12 countries and regions across four continents: Asia, Europe, North America, and Africa. On the 400-kilometer desert no-man’s land course, a peak battle of physical strength and willpower unfolded. This edition of the 800 Liusha race featured 80% of the course in no-man’s land, covering diverse and complex terrains such as the Gobi Desert, Yardang landforms, glaciers, and saline-alkali land. The route connected world cultural heritage sites like Suoyang City and Xuanquanzhi, along with multiple cultural relics. Participants had to navigate independently, carry their own weight, and self-supply throughout the race, challenging nearly 30-degree temperature differences between day and night and a lonely journey within the 141-hour cutoff time, using the stars to find direction and the mountains and rivers to determine their path.