The Great Wall Marathon is designed to be more than just a race. We want you to be able to run in amazing places, surrounded by friendly people, and exposed to new cultural experiences. It’s not just about the race — it’s about enjoying time together with family, friends, and other running minded spirits.

※On Route Inspection Day, the Race Officials will provide you with a Race Briefing, which will cover everything from a weather forecast to a brief presentation of the start/finish procedures. All runners are expected to walk the 3.5 km section of the wall that is part of the marathon, half-marathon and 8.5 km Fun Run course. Race Officials and Medical Staff will be present to answer any questions you may have.

Full marathon runners must be at least 18 years old on Race Day. Half-marathon runners must be at least 16 years old. Fun Run participants must be at least 12 years old. Fun Run participants under the age of 12 are also welcome, so long as they are accompanied by a runner aged 16 or above.

The cut-off time for all distance events is 8 hours. All runners with a net finishing time slower than 8 hours will receive a FNT (Finished No Time) on the result list.

If you decide to change distances during the race, i.e. if a half-marathon runner decides to follow the marathon route, he or she will receive a certificate but not an official time. The race result will read FNT. The same applies to a marathon runner who changes distances during the race. All runners who change distances before Race Day will be registered accordingly and receive an official time.

6 — 8 weeks prior to the race you will receive the service voucher which you can use for acquiring a visa.

For more details, please visit us online at www.greatwallmarathon.com.

The more you meditate and achieve mindfulness, the better you’ll feel. There are many free meditation apps. that offer guided sessions and calming playlists.

The Mindfulness

Meditation beginners and experts alike will find lots of options with The Mindfulness. A 5-day guided practice and introduction to mindfulness can help you get started, and silent meditations from 3 to 30 minutes can suit a busy lifestyle. The app also offers personalized meditation options, reminders to keep you mindful throughout the day, and statistics to track in your meditation journal. This app offers free contents. Premium access (高级会员) costs about $10 per month or $ 60 per year.

Insight Timer

The app offers a multitude (众多) of meditation bells and calming musical notes during self-guided meditations. Featuring a variety of professional instructors and courses, Insight Timer also offers more contents for free users than other apps. Although the free option is extensive, the premium version offers courses, downloadable meditations, night mode, and daily insights.

Smiling Mind

It is an evidence-based, not-for-profit mindfulness app with over 300 totally free meditations and mindfulness programs for both adults and children. Its mission is simple: “To provide accessible, life-long tools to support healthy minds” in schools, at home, and in the workplace. Smiling Mind is extremely beginner-friendly, and you can start from scratch, learning about what mindfulness means, how it works, the research behind it, and primer meditation sessions.

Breethe: Meditation Sleep

A nice feature about Breethe is the calming background music that plays while the app is open. even without opening a meditation or music. Breethe offers a lot of sleep contents, including visualizations and bedtime stories. The app does offer a few 7-day courses for free, but the majority (1.000 -plus meditations) is locked behind the paywall.

Lose Yourself in a Good Book for Australia Reads

In November, we're inviting Australians of all ages and from all walks of life to share and celebrate the joys of reading. Whether you're picking up a book for the first time or your head is already stuck in one, there are plenty of books, activities and events as parts of our festivities.

On Thursday, November 12 we'll celebrate Australian Reading Hour. You're invited to stop what you're doing for an hour, pick up a book and read to yourself or the children in your life. Join us and relax. Get inspired and find joy in books!

This year we are hosting three online events to celebrate the many benefits of reading.

☆Australia Reads Main Event—Wednesday, November 11 from 12:30 pm

☆Australia Reads Kids—Monday, November 9 from 10:30 am

☆Australia Reads Teens—Tuesday, November 10 from 12:30 pm

Reading has some little-known benefits including reducing stress by 68%—it even works faster than listening to music, going for a walk or enjoying a cup of tea. What's more, a bedtime story six days a week can put kids almost a year ahead when they start school. If those benefits aren't enough to persuade you to pick up a book just yet, Australia Reads has also kindly donated a bunch of books to give away!

You will be offered FREE books by visiting our friendly team at King George Square bus station, Thursday, November 12 from 7: 30 am.

We'll be giving away a range of adult and kid books to celebrate Australian Reading Hour until we run out of books.

These are just some of the exciting books we'll have on offer as part of the giveaway—but remember, we'll have limited numbers available, so first come first serve!

·The Greatest Hit ,William Kostakis

·Frankie Fish and the Tomb of Tom foolery, Peter Helliar

·Tashi and the Stolen Forest ,Anna Fienberg

·The Girl in the Mirror , Rose Carlyle

For more information: https: / / australiareads.org.au/