The 2026 Chongli 168 Ultra Trail took place in Chongli District, Hebei Province, attracting 12,000 runners from 26 countries and regions, including 204 elite athletes. The event featured nine distance groups, with the flagship ‘Chongli 168’ course covering 170.7km and 8,292m of elevation gain, passing through Winter Olympic landmarks such as ‘Snow Ruyi’. During the 2025 event week, 170,400 tourists visited, tourism revenue exceeded 168 million yuan, and hotel occupancy rates in the district surpassed 95%.

Alessio Ponzi, head of World Athletics’ running division, said China is becoming an important country shaping the future of trail running. Future events will establish training bases and convert short-term traffic into year-round operations.

Chongli 168 has grown from a niche event with 2,000 participants in 2017 to an Asian benchmark this year with 12,000 runners. It attracted 170,000 tourists and generated tourism revenue of 168 million yuan in a single week, successfully activating summer vitality of Winter Olympic venues. Global trail running participation has exceeded 20 million, and China’s explosive growth is prompting international brands to accelerate their presence.

For New Zealand small and medium enterprise owners, two points stand out. First, the demand for equipment and nutritional products driven by the event, such as New Zealand manuka honey and whey protein, which are natural functional products that could explore cooperation with the event. Second, Chongli’s model of converting ski slopes into training bases and linking multiple ski resorts with an ‘event plus vacation’ approach offers a year-round operational idea for New Zealand’s South Island resorts, which likewise suffer from a three-season dependency on one season.

Once the trail system becomes regularised, long-term outdoor consumption scenarios will lower the barriers for cross-border cooperation, rather than relying solely on short-term event traffic.

Keywords: Chongli 168 Ultra Trail, Chongli, trail running, outdoor sports, Winter Olympics, sports tourism, event economy, industry chain, year-round operations

2026年崇礼168超级越野赛在河北崇礼区举行，26个国家和地区1.2万名选手参赛，含204名精英。赛事设九组，核心“崇礼168”组赛道170.7公里爬升8292米，串联“雪如意”等冬奥地标。2025年赛事当周吸引17.04万人次游客，旅游收入超1.68亿元，全区酒店入住率超95%。

世界田联跑步部负责人阿莱西奥·蓬齐称中国正成为塑造越野跑未来的重要国家。未来赛事将打造训练基地，转化短期流量为全年运营。

崇礼168从2017年2000人参赛的小众赛事，成长为今年1.2万跑者、吸引17万游客、单周旅游收入1.68亿元的亚洲标杆，成功激活冬奥场馆夏季活力。全球越野跑参与人数已超2000万，中国市场的爆发式增长令国际品牌加速布局。对新西兰中小企业主，关注点有二：一是赛事带动的装备、营养品需求，如新西兰麦卢卡蜂蜜、乳清蛋白等天然功能性产品可探索与赛事合作；二是崇礼将滑雪场转为训练基地、串联多雪场的“赛事+度假”模式，为同样受困一季养三季的新西兰南岛度假区提供了全年运营思路。

未来赛道系统常态化后，长期户外消费场景将降低跨境合作门槛，而非仅靠短期赛事流量。

关键词: 崇礼168超级越野赛, 崇礼, 越野跑, 户外运动, 冬奥, 体育旅游, 赛事经济, 产业链, 四季运营

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Source: Xinhua Net