‘They clearly had the genes’: brothers run the length of the Great Wall of China, 35 years after their father

In 1987, William Lindesay became the first foreigner to run along the wall. This year, sons Jimmy and Tommy followed in his footsteps from west to east

The pair took 131 days to complete the 3,262km run, meeting people their father met, overcoming hostility amid the pandemic – and ending with pizza and whisky

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Brothers Jimmy (left) and Tommy Lindesay ran 3,000-plus kilometres along the Great Wall of China, following the route their explorer father took 35 years ago.

Published: 7:15am, 20 Dec 2022

Running the 3,262-kilometre (2,027-mile) length of the Great Wall of China would be a gruelling undertaking at the best of times.

Completing such an epic expedition during a pandemic – as brothers Jimmy and Tommy Lindesay did – was a herculean feat that involved perseverance, ingenuity, stamina and a measure of subterfuge.

They were following in the footsteps of their explorer father, William Lindesay, who ran a similar route 35 years ago – the first foreigner to do so.

A Briton, Lindesay completed the journey unaided, relying on the kindness of strangers for accommodation and supplies, including a hospitable farming family the brothers visited on their trip.

The Lindesay brothers at the Great Wall.

For Lindesay senior, this was venturing into the great unknown, with sketchy maps, no mobile phone, basic equipment and the knowledge that a fall and injury in an isolated location would put him in deep peril.

The adventurer was arrested numerous times and, at one point, deported – only to secure a new passport, come back and continue the quest.