emlyon business school

Joins CR-ULTRA GOBI

Collegiate Relay Ultra Gobi

Be the World’s No.1 Founding University

On the occasion of the

10th Anniversary of the BUPT–emlyon EMBA Program,

the CR-ULTRA GOBI Organizing Committee officially presents

the CR-ULTRA GOBI Founding Partner Certificate

to emlyon business school

For the inaugural 2026 race, emlyon will:

• Form an official team of students from the French campus
• Compete across Europe and China on the same course
• Bring young people together along the Silk Road

From the Silk Road to today’s Gobi racecourse.

For two decades, more and more runners have ventured into the Gobi, taking on 121 kilometers of challenging terrain in a journey of dialogue with nature and with themselves. For them, the Gobi is not only a test of physical endurance, but also an experience of perseverance, choices and personal growth.

emlyon business school’s journey with the Xuanzang Route Gobi Challenge began with Gobi 13. From Gobi 13 to Gobi 21 this year, the emlyon Gobi flag has continued to fly, passed down from one generation of EMBA alumni to the next. Over these eight years, new participants have continued to take on the challenge, while perseverance, collaboration and self-transcendence have become shared memories cherished by the emlyon community.

This year, that spirit will be passed on once again.

The inaugural COLLEGIATE RELAY ULTRA GOBI (CR-ULTRA GOBI) is about to begin!

As the first founding partner of CR-ULTRA GOBI, emlyon business school will be represented by students from the Asian Campus Semester (ACS). Following two rounds of selection, eight ACS students and one Team leader will form Team emlyon Asia, taking on the 121-kilometer Gobi racecourse together.

This time, they are not only participants, but also a new generation of storytellers and practitioners of the Gobi spirit.

Competitors

They are passing on more than just the racecourse. They are carrying forward a spirit of discovering oneself through challenges and empowering one another as a team.

For ACS students, this will also be a unique cross-border youth experience. On the Gobi landscape of China, they will run alongside young people from universities around the world, experiencing a spirit that transcends age, culture and geography through every relay handover and every shared step forward.