Runners compete on routes through the distinctive Danxia landforms, the Gobi Desert, mountains, valleys and craters in Gansu province's Yumen Moshan National Park. [Photo by Yang Feiyue/China Daily]

"We wanted to involve the local population and encourage people from Yumen to explore the beauty of the landscape without making it overwhelming," Rodriguez says.

"We were very pleased with the turnout. It's great to see the enthusiasm that transpired on race day."

The second half of the 10-km race passed through narrow sand canyons that change from red, to green, to white, to grey over just a few kilometers.

The 30-km course winds through the back of red canyons, and along ridges and dunes.

The 60-km competition was sloped along stunning ridgelines near an extinct volcano, down to the Gobi's plains and then toward the high mountains on the valley's other side.

The mountainous section begins with a 1,500-meter-high ascent over 8 km, testing competitors' endurance and strength to the fullest.

Runners could view the entire course from the very top - at an altitude of 3,200 meters.

The local government hopes the cross-country event will help tourism.

"It'll put this beautiful, pristine park on the map," Yumen tourism bureau's director Gao Zhengsheng says.

"The Danxia landforms, volcanoes, petrified wood and animal fossils are all worth exploring."