Vietnam Mountain Marathon

Come challenge the dragons in the clouds of Sapa! 🐲

Get ready for a unique experience in the land of misty mountains ☁️, where every step brings you a little closer to the Vietnamese sky 🇻🇳. The Vietnam Mountain Marathon (VMM) is so much more than a simple goal of trail, it’s a pilgrimage in the Lao Cai province, at the Chinese border 🇨🇳. Here in Sapa, the race isn’t run on pavement but on trails in a territory nicknamed the “ sand town ”, even though you’ll mostly find mud and rock 🪨. You’ll move through a cinema-like setting, amid the terraced rice fields that mirror the sky 😍. It’s the playground of the minority groups Black Hmong, Dao rouges and Tay, who have been farming these mountains for centuries with ingenuity that commands respect. Sapa became a climate resort as early as 1913, when French military would come to seek coolness to escape the sweltering plains 🥵. Be prepared, because the climate here is fickle: the transition from a sweltering sun to a dense fog happens in minutes 😅.

The program looks packed, with tests that burn the thighs 🦵. We’re talking serious distances: the 100 miles (160 km) and its 8 800 mD+ for the bravest, the 100 km with a positive elevation gain of about 5 500 m, the 70 km (4 000 mD+), the 50 km (2 800 mD+), with the shorter formats of 21 km and 10 km. This trail run usually takes place mid-September, during the period when the rice fields turn golden yellow just before harvest ☀️. You’ll pass through remote villages and meet children and their families cheering you on throughout your race 👏. It’s a total immersion into the biodiversity of the Hoang Lien National Parkwhere more than 2 000 plant species 🪴, including rare orchids that are hard to admire while trying not to slip 😬. The atmosphere is electric, especially at the start by headlamps, with a community of runners from more than 50 countries🌏.

Performance-wise, the VMM has given rise to local legends 🏆. In 2024, it was the Vietnamese runner Ngô Van Chinh, who broke the course record on the 100 km with a time of 13h 00min 10s 🤯. That proves the locals’ mountain-dwelling legs have dynamite in them! 💥 When you run here, the proximity to the Fansipan ⛰️, the “Roof of Indochina” towering at 3 143 meters, is felt with every stride. If your resources allow after the effort, a salute to the giant statue of the Great Buddha Amitabha at the summit, the tallest seated Buddha statue in Asia 🤓. The region’s heritage is everywhere, like the old Stone Cathedral of Sapa, built in 1895, standing proudly in the town center 📍. It’s a striking contrast between the colonial architecture and the colorful traditional costumes of the Red Dao, famed for their turbans and herbal knowledge 🍀. After the effort, it’s time for gastronomic comfort because Lào Cai knows how to feed hungry athletes 🍽️. On the menu, some Thang Co, a local specialty made with horse meat and medicinal herbs, or Com Lam, a glutinous rice dish cooked in bamboo tubes that will recharge your energy 🔋.

The VMM is now part of the World Trail Majors 🥇, placing this event among the planet’s most prestigious alongside the Hong Kong 100, the Black Canyon Ultras in the USA 🇺🇸, the Transgrancanaria in Spain 🇪🇸, Mt. Fuji 100 in Japan 🇯🇵, the MIUT in Madeira 🇵🇹, the South Downs Way in the UK 🇬🇧, the Quebec Mega Trail in Canada 🇨🇦, and the Ultra-Trail Cape Town in Africa 🇿🇦.

So, have you decided to trade comfort for an unforgettable mountain adventure in Vietnam’s highlands? 😎