Roughly four miles of the course are hiked over the iconic landmark — for one stretch in the beginning of the race and again hours later at the 21-mile mark.
With temperatures approaching 95 degrees and over 3,800 steep stairs to climb on the wall, the course presents a strong psychological, as well as physical challenge.
"After you come off of the wall [the first time], then you go down a goat path that's a steep drop off, and that's really tough on your quads," Meyer, an attorney, said. "The second time you come back to the wall you're going in reverse, so you have to start out by going up the goat path.
"I was doing fine for the first 21 miles and then I just hit this thing that was just straight up."
When pausing to catch a breath from one of its peaks, runners are treated to a picturesque view of the lush green valleys surrounding the wall.
For Meyer, who began with the Californias Marathon in 1978 before starting his intercontinental odyssey with the London Marathon in 1987, the sights and atmosphere of the Great Wall Marathon ranked high among his many running memories.
"I'm kind of a B-type personality when it comes to running — I go out there and I have fun, meet people, slap hands with kids and that kind of thing," said Meyer, who resumed his quest with a trip to Australia for the Sydney Marathon in 2003. "The best part of the experience was the people, because we ran through several villages and people from all walks of life are out there cheering people on.
"All these villages just sort of stopped, and everyone was out and friendly and it was a great experience."
