Jiaju Zhao - Trail Runner Profile
Jiaju Zhao (Zhao Jiaju in Chinese name order) is a Chinese ultrarunner born in 1995 in Guizhou Province. He won the 2026 Tor des Géants in a course-record 65:55:22, the first finish under 66 hours and the first win by an Asian runner, a year after withdrawing from the race. His UTMB Index is 898 as
Jiaju Zhao quick facts
- Age: 30 or 31 (born 1995)
- Nationality: China
- From: Guizhou Province, China
- UTMB Index: 898 (as of 6 October 2026, UTMB profile)
- Key results: Tor des Géants 2026: 1st, 65:55:22, course record; First: Asian winner of the Tor des Géants; Chongli 168: 4 wins (2020, 2023, 2024, 2026)
UTMB Index and ITRA scores change after every race. The dates are when each number was read from the official profile.
Country: China · Team: Kailas FUGA · Specialities: 100 miles+, Multi-day, 100 miles
Right now: Tor des Géants champion and course record holder, 2026.
Key facts
- Tor des Géants 2026: 1st, 65:55:22, course record
- First: Asian winner of the Tor des Géants
- Chongli 168: 4 wins (2020, 2023, 2024, 2026)
- Born: Guizhou Province, China, 1995
The 2026 Tor des Géants
Zhao finished the 330km race in 65:55:22, 13 minutes faster than the record Victor Richard set in 2025. Switzerland's Jonathan Schindler was second in 66:55:06, 59 minutes and 44 seconds behind. Marathon Handbook reports that Zhao slept about 50 minutes in total, in 10-minute blocks, and that he ran the OCC at UTMB less than three weeks earlier, finishing 253rd in 8:31:40.
A second attempt that went the other way
His first Tor des Géants, in 2025, ended in a withdrawal at around the 200km mark, according to China News Service. He came back a year later and won. Marathon Handbook quotes him saying that this would be his last race of more than 168km.
From delivery rider to Kailas athlete
China News Service reports that Zhao worked as a food delivery rider and turned the deliveries into training, moved from road marathons to trail running in 2017, and later became a contracted elite athlete. He has won the Chongli 168 four times and finished tenth at the 2025 UTMB in 21:19:47.
How Jiaju runs
Zhao's record is that of a 100-mile and 100km racer who wins often: UTMB's results list shows wins at Doi Inthanon Thailand by UTMB in 2021 and 2022, at Mount Yun in 2024 and 2025, at the Ultra-Trail Xiamen 100K in 2025 and 2026, and at the Chongli 168 in 2020, 2023, 2024 and 2026.
He also races a lot. Between March and August 2026 UTMB records a win at Xiamen, second at the Mt Fuji 100, second at the Daocheng Yading SkyRace 50km, the Chongli 168 win, the OCC and then the Tor des Géants.
Where Jiaju is strongest
Races of 100 miles and beyond, including the 205km Chongli 168 course of 2023, which he won in 32:23:00, and the 330km Tor des Géants.
Mountain 100-milers in China, plus Thailand, where he has several wins.
The edge. Returning to a race that beat him: his 2025 Tor des Géants withdrawal became the 2026 course record.
What you can learn from Jiaju
1. A DNF can be the start of the course record
Zhao withdrew from the 2025 Tor des Géants at about 200km and won it a year later. After a drop, write down what went wrong, pacing, fuelling or sleep, and fix those before the retry.
2. Sleep is a race decision
He reportedly slept about 50 minutes in total over 66 hours, in 10-minute blocks. Most runners should not copy that, but they can practise planning short sleeps and time at aid stations in long training days or in smaller races beforehand.
3. Shorter races feed the long ones
He raced 100km and 100-mile events across China and Thailand before the Tor. Racing regularly at 100km teaches the pacing and fuelling that a 330km race stretches over three nights.
Selected results
| Year | Race | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Tor des Géants (330km) | 1st (65:55:22, course record) |
| 2026 | Chongli 168 | 1st (19:01:32, fourth win) |
| 2026 | Mt Fuji 100 | 2nd (18:28:12) |
| 2026 | Ultra-Trail Xiamen by UTMB (100km) | 1st (9:52:25) |
| 2025 | UTMB | 10th (21:19:47) |
| 2025 | Mount Yun by UTMB (100M) | 1st (17:51:36) |
| 2022 | Doi Inthanon Thailand by UTMB | 1st (back-to-back win after 2021) |
| 2020 | Jiangnan 100 Mile | 1st (18:35:45) |
A selection, not a complete race history.
Official profiles
Compare yourself with Jiaju
- ITRA index calculator: estimate the km-effort and an indicative performance band for your own race result (not an official ITRA Performance Index).
- Trail pace calculator: turn your road pace into a trail pace and finish time for a given elevation profile.
Frequently asked questions
What is Jiaju Zhao's UTMB Index?
898 overall as of 6 October 2026, with 889 at 100km and 881 at 100 miles, according to his official UTMB profile. The Tor des Géants does not appear in his UTMB results list, so his 2026 win is not reflected in that figure.
Is Zhao Jiaju the same person as Jiaju Zhao?
Yes. Zhao is his family name, which Chinese name order puts first, so international race reports write it either way. His UTMB profile lists him as Jiaju Zhao.
What is the Tor des Géants course record?
65 hours, 55 minutes and 22 seconds, set by Jiaju Zhao in 2026. It is 13 minutes faster than Victor Richard's 2025 time and the first finish of the 330km race under 66 hours.
Who was the first Asian winner of the Tor des Géants?
Jiaju Zhao of China, who won the 2026 edition. He is also the first winner from outside Europe since the race began in 2010.
Runners with a similar profile
- Franco Collé (Italy): Four-time Tor des Géants winner who added the 450km Tor des Glaciers at 48, on his first attempt.
- Ludovic Pommeret (France): Won UTMB at 41 after being 50th at halfway, and at 50 broke the Hardrock course record on his way to a third straight win.
- François D'Haene (France): Four UTMB titles, four Diagonale des Fous titles and a Hardrock win: the most complete long-ultra record of his generation.
- Katharina Hartmuth (Germany): The first woman to finish on the overall podium at the Tor des Géants, and a UTMB podium finisher at both ends of her career so far.
Sources and verification
Checked against the following sources on 2026-10-06:
- UTMB Index profile (official)
- Marathon Handbook: Jiaju Zhao breaks the course record at the Tor des Géants
- China News Service: Zhao Jiaju makes history in one of the toughest ultra-trail races
- AostaSera: TOR330 Tor des Géants 2026 results
- South China Morning Post: first athlete under 66 hours at the Tor des Géants
- UTMB: back-to-back wins at Doi Inthanon Thailand by UTMB
Canonical page: https://trailia.run/best-trail-runners/jiaju-zhao
Published by Trailia (https://trailia.run), a personalised trail running coaching platform. This profile is a factual reference, not a ranking.