Everything NEW in 2024!
The regulations for the KOG competition have changed considerably compared to the past. The total ranking will no longer be based on time, but on points that can be obtained in each of the races during the weekend.
The King (male) and Queen (female) of the Grasslands will be those athletes who have scored the highest points total during the weekend.
To obtain the title of ‘KOG Finisher’, participants must finish the sprint duathlon, 1 running race and 2 cycling races.
2024 KOG Competition consists of the following races:
- Sprint Duathlon 5km
- Route 99 Xiwuqi Marathon 42.2km
- Half Marathon 21.1 km
- Fun Run 11km
- Speedy Xiwuqi 58km
- Cyclo Xiwuqi 123km (road bike)
- Genghis Khan MTB Classic 80 km (MTB)
- Genghis Khan MTB Classic 25km (MTB)
KOG Competition Regulations
- The KOG competition follows the regulations of the separate running, cycling and duathlon competitions of the event.
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- Regulations for Running [LINK]
- Regulations for Cycling [LINK]
- Regulations for Sprint Duathlon [LINK]
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- The official abbreviation for this competition is “KOG”.
- The KOG overall classification is based on points. The winner and KOG Champion is the athlete (male and female) who has scored the highest points total in the various races during the weekend. Races are categorised as A, B or C, whereby the A-races offer the most points. Finishers score points according to their ranking in the race result. No distinction will be made between road bike and MTB. Participants need to choose themselves which bike type will give them the best points result in the KOG ranking.
- The points table overview : [2024 KOG Points Tables] .
- Result of the Sprint Duathlon – the first competition of the weekend is the short duathlon and this will be held in two bike categories, road bike and MTB. Participants in both categories will score the same points for the KOG ranking (e.g. the winners both score 80 KOG points). As mentioned in Point 3 of these regulations, in terms of KOG points, no distinction will be made between road bike and MTB for Saturday’s and Sunday’s cycling races.
- In order to be ranked in the official KOG result and be entitled as a ‘KOG Finisher’ , participants must without exception finish within the cut-off time limits of the sprint duathlon, one of the running races, and two of the cycling races.
- The best performers (m/f) of the KOG competition will will be awarded accordingly during the official final Podium Ceremony on Sunday afternoon. The overall ranking will also be filtered into an AG40 and an AG50 ranking, of which the best performers will also be awarded during the podium ceremony
- Should two or more people finish the KOG competition with the same points total, their respective marathon run finishing times will be compared to differentiate between them in the final KOG result. The participant with the fastest finishing time will receive a higher KOG ranking than the other. By the same token, a marathon finish exceeds a half marathon or a fun run finish in value.
Points Table Overview (ref. Point 3 in regulations)
Background to the KOG competition
As increasingly more people took part in both the running and mountainbiking races at the Genghis Khan Festival, the King of the Grasslands (KOG) competition was formally introduced to the schedule in 2013 and with great response. Over 30 athletes attempted the incredible feat of finishing the 3 long distance stages of the MTB competition as well as the 42.5k long Grassland Marathon running. In 2014, the number more than doubled already with 78 participants, in 2015 there were almost 150 participants and in 2016 there were almost 180 participants in the competition. It was always a true test-of-strength, however, as the DNF rate remained high.