"Wild Women" Prepare to Trail Run the Great Wall for Charity

Once you’ve finally hiked the Great Wall a few times, you might find yourself wondering “what else can I do here?”

A group of expat women in Beijing is set to answer that question this April, as they prepare to trail-run on the ancient wonder. The group, called “Wild Women on the Wall,” follows in the footsteps of Lucille van der Merwe, who recently relocated to Beijing from South Africa. Back in 2012, she co-founded the Wild Women on the Run initiative which was founded with the aim of creating "a fun, non-competitive, and nurturing environment for women to go out and have a cool multi-day adventure in a place of astounding natural beauty." 

Van der Merwe told our sister publication beijingkids that the idea of setting up a Chinese counterpart to the initiative came about during a Great Wall hike she took her family in 2018. Later on, she met a local hiking guide who explained the hidden trails of the wall and saw the potential to start a China branch of the group. 

Besides this inspiration, van der Merwe said “Beijing expats, especially women, are very involved in helping locals,” explaining that this dovetails perfectly with the ethos of the Wild Women initiative: to raise money and give back to the community while also having a great time.

In the first edition of the Wild Women initiative in China, the group chose 5 Loaves and 2 Fish House and Agape Family Life House as beneficiaries for the money that they raised.

Twenty-two women have now signed up for the April trail run. Van der Merwe explained that participant size is capped because she and the other organizers want the trail-running to be very “intimate and friendly” while properly managing the logistical requirements.

“Three of the participants are also leading activities that help raise funds for our beneficiaries,” van der Merwe said. One of those participants is Desiree de Wit, who is holding the spin-a-thon charity event on Friday, Jan 25 at Beijing Riviera Clubhouse.

The event runs for 13 hours from 9am to 10pm, and participants can sign up for slots of three hours for RMB 500. There is a special rate for students or teachers at RMB 300 for a three-hour block from 4-7pm or 7-10pm. All the money raised during this workout party will go to the charities supported by Wild Women.

“Those interested can form a team of two or three people to finish each three-hour block and share the time to complete the spin-a-thon, or they can ride together and commit to finishing the three hours together,” De Wit said.

The spin-a-thon event is also part of the activities to prepare the 22 participating women for the larger Great Wall trail run, as well as help them raise more money for the Wild Women initiative.

The organizers also make it clear that “all funds raised are donated directly to the selected community projects,” and “each Wild Woman is required to ‘pay her own way’ – none of the sponsorship money is used to fund runners. Every donation, [regardless] of value, makes a direct difference in the lives of these children.”

If you wish to donate to Wild Women, you can visit their website here or contact van der Merwe on WeChat (ID: Lucille_Beijing) If you would like to sign up for the spin-a-thon event, contact de Wit on WeChat (ID: desireedewit).

READ: Charitable Past: Examples of Goodwill Throughout the Chinese Ages

This article originally featured on our sister site beijingkids.

Photos courtesy of Desiree de Wit/Wild Women on the Wall