The 10th anniversary of Vietnam’s maiden trail running event in Sapa saw plenty of stars deliver outstanding performances on what was a dry race day for nearly all competitors. John Ray Onifa outsprinted Kristian Joergensen and the surprisingly quick youngster Godwin Mirar in a spectacular 50km race in which they did not spare each other. They went all out and even to the extent that multiple race winner Gaetan Morizur finished an hour later in fourth. Joergensen had said not to be feeling very well prior to the race, but that did not show during the race. Halfway he even led Onifa by a minute. Mirar was just another minute further back. But Onifa is in fantastic shape these past two months, and managed to return and drop Joergensen for a prestigious victory - his fourth ATM win of the season, and his eighth ever. Godwin Mirar finished just 11 minutes later. Back in 2019, Mirar showed himself for the first time in The Punisher, where he scored a fourth place behind Kitamura, Macaneras and John Ellis. Wisely so for a 23-year-old talent, Mirar focuses on short distance races for the time being with the occasional 50 thrown in. Based on his VMM result, we can expect to see some more great things from this young man from Bukidnon in Mindanao.

The Filipino success continued shortly after as reigning ATM Champion Arnie Macaneras conquered the 70km race in truly dominating fashion. Macaneras had a gap of one-and-a-half hours over Poland’s Michal Lesniak and Nguyen Duc Tuan Anh, who did well himself in scoring a podium at the expense of a.o. Trung Nguyen, who settled for fourth. Since winning the ATM title back in December, Macaneras seems to have gained self-confidence and is now fully unleashing his potential. With this kind of form, he looks like he could just as well defend his ATM title at Siksorogo Lawu Ultra in December, which would be unique as nobody has ever won the ATM title twice.

The 100km men’s race quickly developed into a three-man-battle with Cuc Phuong 100 winner Nguyen Si Hieu slightly behind waiting for someone ahead to implode in order to claim another ATM podium. Shockingly, that man to implode was pre-race favourite Jeff Campbell, who pulled out of the race after about 38km. It turned out Campbell had entered the race with a calf injury that he believed had healed enough for him to do a competitive race at VMM100. Unfortunately, the injury was still there and already at km 28 Campbell was visibly struggling compared to Hung Hai and Nepal’s Sange Sherpa. The latter two went ahead and stayed together until about 20km to go, when Hung Hai launched an attack and managed to drop Sherpa. Hung Hai won VMM for the third time in his career after again spending a month preparing in Sapa itself. His preparation contrasted with Sherpa, who had flown into Vietnam following his completion of TDG in Italy just over a week earlier. The gap at the finish was just ten minutes with Hung Hai winning in an incredible 12h54!

The 50km for women was dominated by Belgian Vanja Cnops, who scored her third ATM win of the season, her seventh ever. Already a winner of VMM 42 a few years ago, Vanja knew the trails already and immediately found the pace to run away from the other competitors. Trần Hồ Nguyên Thảo came second and Giàng Thị Linh third.

On the 100km women, we had a very nicely executed victory for Man Yee Cheung, her first ATM race victory after a 2018 podium in the 9 Dragons Ultra. Since then, she had gained a reputation as one of Hong Kong’s most solid ultra distance runners, and she proved that in Sapa. What adds extra spice to the win is her very late arrival in the mountain town - just three hours before the start. She was running second basically all day, kept leader Le Thi Hang within reach, and pushed the throttle in the last hour of the race. Le Thi Hang, from Vung Tau towards the south of Vietnam, was 4th in Dalat Ultra Trail in March and is known to be running a full marathon distance every day. In addition, she ran VMM 100 in sandals rather than specific trail shoes. In third place of the women’s race we had Luong Thi Loi, and the experienced Le Phuong Vy came fourth.

Akane Nemoto scored a nice victory in her debut on the 70 km distance. The Ho Chi Minh-based Japanese runner had to work hard for it as Le Xuan Suong was with or close to her for most of the race and eventually came in just 11 minutes later. Third place went to Thailand’s Sutinee Rasp.

The fourth and final Vietnamese points race event in the 2023 Asia Trail Master Championship series is Lam Dong Trail in Dalat on 11 November. The 75km distance is the one to aim for there.

The 10th anniversary edition of Vietnam Mountain Marathon in Sapa promises to be one of this year’s major highlights with both high quantity and quality of participants. Many of the Asian region’s most prominent trail runners will be present, albeit distributed over three different race distance categories. Starting on Friday night, we can look forward to Jeff Campbell vs Nguyen Si Hieu, Hung Hai, Sange Sherpa and Sanya Khancai on the 100km, reigning ATM Champion Arnie Macaneras vs Michael Lesniak, Mo Muller and Nguyen Minh Tuan on the 70km, and John Ray Onifa vs Kristian Joergense and Gaetan Morizur on the 50km. And then we have only mentiond the men.

Today Vietnam is one of Asia’s leading trail running countries. No other country sees several thousands of runners flocking the trails several times a year in different parts of the country. The influence Vietnam Mountain Marathon as the original international event has had cannot be underestimated. Many other events in the country took their inspiration from VMM, and Hau Ha would never have become ATM champion and the global elite runner she is today without VMM, which is held in her hometown of Sapa in the Northwest of Vietnam. A year ago, Hau Ha really caught the eye of the Asian trail world when she beat all the men on the 100km at VMM, but this year she is in a resting period following her successful European campaign over summer. Also multiple VMM race winner Quang Tran will not take part in the anniversary edition. Chances for a local runner's victory this weekend therefore rest on the shoulders of Hung Hai and Cuc Phuong Jungle Paths winner Nguyen Si Hieu, as well as Vu Thi Lan Huong and Nguyen Phuong in the women’s 100km race. But the international competition is very big.

Jeff Campbell continues his transition from 50k king to the long ultra distance and this weekend’s 100k race will be a test. Apart from the aforementioned Vietnamese aces, Thailand’s Sanya Khancai and Nepal’s Sange Sherpa will likely be showing him the ropes. If the Canadian Hong Konger can get through this one with distinction, he can go to the Asia Trail Master Championship Final with a boost of confidence. Other 100k contenders this weekend are Miklos Viczena, Tomohiro Mizukoshi and Sean Aying. In the women’s 100km, Nguyen Phuong and Vu Thi Lan Huong will likely face Hong Kong’s Man Yee Cheung, Philippines’ Cecille Wael, France’s Veronique Messina and Malaysia’s Faherina Mohd Esa for top honours.

The 70km race category has reigning ATM Champion Arnie Macaneras scheduled to go head-to-head against Poland’s Michal Lesniak. Important outsiders are Mo Muller - winner of VMM 70 last year -, Nguyen Minh Tuan - winner of VJM 70 last year - , and Trung Nguyen - also a former VJM 70 winner and surprisingly quick every time he puts his mind on a potential podium finish. Important detail for Macaneras: a race finish will give him a wild card for this year’s ATM Final in Indonesia, after already finishing Lantau 70 in March. A dangerman but inexperienced on trails is Vietnamese top marathon runner Le Van Tuan. The women’s 70km will see Singapore’s mountaineering star Vincere Zeng, with Filipino Ann Jilian Pulanco and Malaysia’s Kona Liau as additional contenders for the victory.

The 50km race could be very exciting with in-form John Ray Onifa against Kristian Joergsensen and Gaetan Morizur. Onifa has scored three impressive ATM race wins in the past two months, while Joergensen and Morizur are returning to the ATM scene for the first time this year. Given Onifa’s blistering pace of late, it would be hard to bet against him, but Joergensen is a great and experienced poker player in trail running. Let’s also not forget many other podium candidates with credentials such as Julien Petit, Chris Devoize, Godwin Mirar and Rob West. The women’s 50km will see Belgian Singaporean Vanja Cnops as the runner-to-beat.

Asia Trail Master will be reporting live from Sapa all weekend starting on Friday night on our usual channels on facebook, youtube, X and Instagram.

Jeff Campbell is arguably the one-to-beat on the 100km distance

Reigning ATM Champion Arnie Macaneras will be running the 70km distance this weekend

Cuc Phuong 100 winner Nguyen Si Hieu will use his racing intelligence to try and make Campbell’s life difficult on the 100km

Former VMM winner Hung Hai has again prepared himself for a month in Sapa itself

Important 70k race for Manila’s Ann Jilian Pulanco, winner at Sierra Madre this season. A strong result can cement her spot in ther country’s team for the ATM Final

Whoever wants to win the women’s 50km will need to pass by Vanja Cnops

A sensational Hau Ha (Hà Thị Hậu) beat all the men in the 100km race of her home race Vietnam Mountain Marathon at the Topas Ecolodge in Sapa. The 33-year-old wonder woman came back and dropped the first man in the race, Gaetan Morizur, in the last 6 km to finish line. Hau Ha had been amazingly confident from the beginning, but had a weak moment on the longest hillclimb of the race. Morizur put on the pressure and gained an advantage of over 20 minutes. But in a great show of mental strength, Hau Ha found her second breath in the descent afterwards and began chasing the Frenchman down. Morizur and Hau Ha know each other already from Dalat Ultra Trail in March, a 70k race where the man still had the clear upperhand over the woman. Last weekend, however, she astonished him and everyone else by returning to the front and immediately pressing forward. A definitive move that led to victory: a first in the history of the ATM Championship series. At Topas, the gap was 20 minutes for a finishing time of 15h15. The Vietnamese single mum delivered a show and performance reminiscent of Veronika Vadovicova in a couple of races in 2019, notably VJM against Hisashi Kitamura. It is her second ATM race victory of the season after Dalat, but certainly VMM is her breakthrough moment on the Asian scene. Hau Ha only started to take running seriously in 2020 in an attempt to lose weight and gain fitness while business slowed down due to covid 19.. We certainly have not yet seen the best of her. Despite her efforts to win the race overall, she looked fresh and anything but exhausted at the finish and the hours afterwards. In two weeks she will be competing at the next Vietnamese ATM race, Mu Cang Chai Trail 50 and her big goal is to win the Asia Trail Master Championship decider on Mount Apo in Philippines on 17 December.

Gaetan Morizur had nothing but respect for Hau Ha, and despite a psychological defeat went home as the winner of the men’s race - his second of the ATM season as well. It was a strong showing by all accounts, too, because the men’s field was competitive last weekend with several ATM race winners and podium placers at the starting line. Philippines’ coming man Larry Apolinario not in the least. The impressive winner of MUSPO 100 last July actually was running together with Morizur and Hau Hau until the halfway point. Sadly, Apolinario’s stomach began to rebel and he had to stop up to five times to throw up. Weakened and unable to digest anything decent afterwards, Apolinario was compelled to reduce his running pace and actually restored to fast hiking most of the second part of the race. Such was the leader’s early pace, however, that Apolinario still had enough time advantage to reach the finish line in 8th place. In so doing, he collected still a solid 330 points for his ATM Championship ranking, putting him on 830 total points. At present, that gives him some breathing space to qualify as one of five male runners for Team Philippines at the ATM Final in December.

The battle for second place in the men’s race was contested between Tomohiro Mizukoshi, Nhon Trong and Italy’s Lorenzo Revelant. Mizukoshi battled hard as always, and looked much stronger than in 2019 when he finished 6th in VMM, but Vietnam’s Nhon Trong found a last burst of energy to claim his best race result ever over the ultra distance.

In the women’s 100k, Nguyen Thuy Dung was a very good second, despite suffering an injury towards the end. She was comfortably in the top 10 overall for most of the race. Canada’s Rachelle Komarnisky completed the podium with third.

There was also an inaugural 100 miles race on the VMM programme last weekend. The timing of the race was perhaps a bit unfortunate, as male winner Quang Tran and second-placed Hung Hai delivered fantastic performances and a racing spectacle that went largely unnoticed due to finishing in the middle of the night. After a 4am start the previous day in pouring rain, Hung Hai had been in command for half of the race during the four initial loops that were introduced as a result of the poor weather making the trail conditions of the original route too dangerous. Afterwards, Quang Tran - winner of Mantra Summits Challenge in Indonesia two months ago - shifted to a higher gear. He caught Hung Hai with 35km to go and went on ahead by himself. Back at Topas just after 3am , he had an advantage of over one-and-a-half hours to Hung Hai. Tran’s race time was a superb 23 hours and 19 minutes for 162 km and over 7000 elevation on wet and slippery trails. In third place, as expected, was Nguyen Si Hieu in 27h53: his third ATM podium of the season. Lanh Le was fourth in 29h32 and Jean-Henri Haquenaut finished strongly to claim fifth half an hour later.

The women’s miler was a contest between Nguyen Phuong and Phuong Vy Le, after Filipino runner Emily Raga slowed down somewhat towards the middle of the race. Phuong Vy Le caught Nguyen Phuong halfway through, but apparently it cost her too much effort to keep up the same pace and Nguyen Phuong again went solo in the lead. Enough for the victory in 35h37. Phuong Vy Le was second two-and-a-half hours later, and Danang’s Le Xuan Suong still managed to overtake Emily Raga for the final podium spot.

Gaetan Morizur was putting pressure on Hau Ha on the long hillclimb, but the local young woman came back

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Quang Tran was equally superb in the 100 miles race, but his performance got ‘snowed under’ by his 3 am finishing hour and Hau Ha’s stunt on the 100km .

Nguyen Phuong was in command of the women’s 100 miles race from early on and withstood the pressure from Phuong Vy Le halfway through the race

September kicks off with the two Southeast Asian classics on back-to-back weekends. Starting on Friday morning there’s the Vietnam Mountain Marathon in Sapa and next week we have the Borneo TMBT Ultra around Kota Kinabalu. Lots of the region’s top runners will be in action at either one of these two events, so we are looking forward to some great trail excitement. The VMM event this season has added yet another category to its programme with the 100 miles ultra, for the first time in Vietnam. It promises to be a brutal challenge with the weather forecast also predicting quite a bit of rainfall. The two dominators of the Mantra Summits Challenge in Indonesia two months ago, Quang Tran and Nguyen Si Hieu, have accepted the challenge and will be joined by one of the country’s other trail stars, Hung Hai. All local experts agree that those three are the most likely podium candidates with Quang Tran expected to collect his second ATM points race win of the season. But in trail and over 100 miles, a lot can happen and there can always be an unknown face appearing at the front. Theoretically more competitive is the meanwhile traditional 100k race at VMM, which also offers ATM Championship points. Picking a winner in the men’s 100k race is certainly more difficult. Dalat Ultra Trail winner Gaetan Morizur will be there, together with Nhon Trong - hoping to finally score his first ATM race victory. But there’s others strong contenders from Philippines and Japan. Larry Apolinario will be making his international debut at VMM, and showed in MUSPO 100 two months ago he does not mind a bit of mud sliding. Can Apolinario do one better than his countryman and former ATM Champion Manoliton Divina in 2017? Given the competition he will face in Vietnam, it certainly would mean his Asian breakthrough. Two strong competitors from Japan are also in the mix of podium contenders, and who knows, the race win. They’re even both called Tomohiro by first name. Tomohiro Mizukoshi no longer needs any introduction to ATM followers. He will be doing his second VMM 100 and based on his Echigo performance in June, third -after a very difficult period of time with illness and injuries -, he could aspire for more than 6th in 2019. If it gets very wet, however, Mizukoshi might struggle more with the trail conditions than the likes of Apolinario, for example. The second Tomohiro, Tomohiro Machida, is the dark horse of this race. Machida has three ATM race placings under his belt, 6th, 4th and 14th in the highly competitive Izu Trail Journey 2018, 2019 and 2020. That means he is very fast on a tough, cold and runable trail. How will he perform on a hot, humid and slippery trail? The fact that the 100k race starts on Friday evening will probably play in his favour.

The women’s 100k race will also feature Hau Ha, who had a dominant victory in Dalat in March - her first appearance in an ATM race. Hau Ha is the local superstar in Sapa and betting against her this weekend is almost inconceivable. Nevertheless, it will be her first 100k trail ever, moving up from 70k in Dalat. In between she has competed mainly in road marathons with great success, yet often with digestive issues as well. In order to finish first you first need to finish, and it will be interesting to follow how she performs vis-a-vis the top men. In Dalat, she was fourth overall..

In the 100 miles category, there’s some strong women who will be going for it. Ultra distance specialist Emily Raga from Philippines/Singapore and Tamae Harada from Japan are serious contenders, along with My Cung Thi Tra and Trang Tran.

Vietnam’s female trail star Hau Ha is aiming to repeat her win at Dalat Ultra Trail in her first 100k race at VMM

Quang Tran looked very comfortable at Mantra Summits Challenge two months ago

Gaetan Morizur, here at VJM 2018, was a superb winner of Dalat Ultra Trail last March

Hung Hai switches between trail and duathlon and can never be ruled out for a race victory

Larry Apolinario was the dominant winner at MUSPO 100 and earlier Sierra Madre Ultra 75 this year

Tomohiro Mizukoshi returns to VMM 100, hoping to do better than 6th in 2019

Tomohiro Machida has had an impressive string of placings at Izu Trail Journey over the years

Two events in Vietnam on our ATM race calendar have just announced their weekend dates for 2022. In fact, it will be back-to-back weekends in September with the oldest and classic Vietnam Mountain Marathon (VMM) scheduled for 9 to 11 September, and the Mu Cang Chai Trail Ultra (MCC) one week later on 17 September. It’s a combo that may appeal to trail runners who can spend a week in the northern part of the country.

The Vietnam Mountain Marathon will once again a wide range of race categories. Important for runners aiming to qualify for Team Vietnam and the ATM Championship Final: it’s the 100 miles and the 100 km races that matter. There’s also a 70k category, which is of course valid to notch up a point for the individual Grandmaster Quest challenge, but not for Championship points.

While VMM may thus attract the long ultra runners, Mu Cang Chai in Yen Bai province may cater for runners who prefer to be speedy over the medium distance, in this case 50 km. MCC will be a points race for the first time after a Candidate race stint in 2020, at a time events were cancelled in most other countries in Asia.

Registration will open in due course. The first event in Vietnam on our ATM calendar is Dalat Ultra Trail in the southwest of the country at the very end of March. More details on that popular event are coming soon after the Tet Festival (Vietnamese New Year).

VMM offers 100 miles and 100 km as the points races for the ATM Championship contenders

MCC is the event for the lovers of faster and shorter races: 50 km of action-packed running guaranteed

Among all the contenders for this weekend’s men’s Vietnam Mountain Marathon, Hung Hai was still the man to beat in the minds of many. Not only did he win the 100k race in 2018 and 2019, he had been training and preparing for a hattrick on the same trails around Sapa for two weeks. With already a victory in Dalat Ultra Trail 100 on his record from last June, Hung Hai looked set to conquer the lead in the Asia Trail Master Championship ranking as well. Alas, an ultra race always needs to be run.

2017 VMM Champion Quang Tran wasted no time in the early parts after the start on Friday night. Hung Hai was able to hang on, the other race favourites such as Romain Berion - winner of VJM 70 last month -, ATM Championship leader Gaetan Morizur, youngster Nhon Trong and Quang Duc Nguyen were a bit further behind. Quang Tran applied a lot of pressure in the nighttime and suddenly he was reported being in the lead by himself. Later it would turn out that Hung Hai injured himself quite badly and was forced to quit the race. What should have been a great success story turned into a bitter disappointment for the professional multisport athlete.

Quang Tran increased the gap to his rivals behind, but towards the end of the race he started to stuffer as well. As the Vietnamese hero struggled in the final kilometres uphill to the Topas Lodge, Frenchmen Berion and Morizur edged closer and closer to him. Eventually, Quang Tran made it only just, and in a new course record of 13h01. Romain Berion and Gaetan Morizur came in together as second and third place, only 3 minutes behind. Fifty-four minutes later, Nhon Trong came in fourth just ahead of Nguyen Si Hieu, who has become a regular name at the top of result sheets as well this year. Germany’s Markus Gnirck was a very solid sixth another ten minutes later, and keeps improving performance-wise as well. Those six were clearly separate from the rest of the field, led by Phi Lanh Le in seventh. Quang Tran collects a very useful 550 ATM Championship points with his victory, as VMM is this year’s Vietnam SuperTrail with 50 bonus points. It would be awesome if he could keep this form on at least four more occasions in 2021!

With Hung Hai not finishing, and Gaetan Morizur boosting his total ATM points tally to 925 by taking 500 for second place in VMM as opposed to the 450 in VJM last month (see regulations for retaining just one of those two points results), the French newcomer in competitive Asian trail running looked safe to carry his Championship lead into the new year. But then, Trung Dang Nguyen suddenly emerged as winner of the VMM 70km B-race, a Grandmaster race distance so there’s some Championship points to be scored as well! That’s an unexpected 420 extra points for the Vietnamese runner who is normally residing in Singapore… and that propels him to a total tally of 1015 points moving ahead of Morizur in the ranking! Before the race, Trung Dang Nguyen had been playing down his chances for a good result, saying he had hardly done any running training at all in the past two months. A textbook trick of course, but be that as it may, he saw a chance and took it. After scoring points in EcoTrail Al Ula back in early February before the pandemic, he scored also in Dalat and put the cherry-on-the-pie in Sapa.

The women’s VMM 100km race was won by ATM Championship leader Julia Duong Nguyen Thi in 17h20. It was third time lucky for “Little Sugar” after finishing second and third in previous participations in Sapa. It is also her third career win in an ATM poins race. She can look forward to 2021 with great confidence! France’s Nathalie Cochet, herself a former winner at VMM, was second and put up a good battle with Julia. Cochet arrived back at Topas just a good fifteen minutes later. Third place on the podium went to Trà My Cung Thị in 20h04.

We did not get a repeat dual between Duong Nguyen Thi and Thuỳ Dung Nguyễn after last month’s VJM race, as the latter opted for VMM 70km. However, Thuỳ Dung Nguyễn showed once more in what excellent running form she currently is by winning that race in 11:03:28, and significantly, 47 minutes ahead of France’s Constance Louasse! If the newcomer on the ATM Championship scene continues to develop at this rate, she could be a second Vietnamese iron in the fire for the title next year! Third place on the 70K went to Lan Hương Vũ, who also did well by coming in just five minutes behind Louasse.

Note: The 2020 ATM Championship was merged with the 2021 Championship already back in August as a result of the global covid 19 pandemic.

The postponed Vietnam Mountain Marathon takes place this weekend at the Topas lodge in Sapa with domestic runners-only. That’s unfortunate but no longer real news in these challenging covid-19 months, and it certainly won’t spoil the fun. Saturday’s 100km main race in the men’s category contains is a who-is-who of the most succesfull trail runners in Vietnam over the past years. On paper, they are all competing against each other in the same race rather than being spread out over the various race distance categories of the event. That’s pure publicity for the sport and we are all excited to find out who comes out on top this Saturday.

It is not for nothing therefore that the Vietnam Mountain Marathon was granted the ATM SuperTrail label after the initial postponement of Dalat Ultra Trail in spring. That means the winner of the 100km race collects 550 points instead of the usual 500. This places one of the big favourites in a position to conquer the lead in the 2020/21 Asia Trail Master Championship ranking. Hung Hai already scored 500 in Dalat last June and is the winner of VMM the past two seasons! The 36-year-old multisport athlete will indeed takeover from Frenchman Gaetan Morizur if he comes first (+550) or second (+500) this weekend. Morizur himself will be in the race, too. The revelation of the Vietnamese season (read our Q&A with Gaetan Morizur here) was second in VJM a month ago (450 points) and can boost his total by maximum 100 points to 975.

Hung Hai and Gaetan Morizur will have to deal with more serious contenders for the race victory. Quang Tran is the 2017 winner and proved in smaller events this year that he remains a very strong trail runner on his day. Most likely he won’t be running VMM 100 if he weren’t ready for it, so we expect to see Quang Tran at his best again. Originally from France but residing in Vietnam like Morizur, Romain Berion was the new name in ATM who won the Vietnam Jungle Marathon last month. Berion is a former competitive cyclist and it will be great to see him going against the likes of Hung Hai and Quang Tran on those tough mountain trails around Sapa.

There’s more contenders for the podium, and who knows even the prestigious race win. Until a year ago, Nhon Trong was a champion of the 50k trail distance but since then he has also been trying out his fortunes on the longer ultra distances. If Nhon Trong can keep his speed going over 100 km, the others better watch out. When it comes to trail running experience, stamina and overall toughness, Quang Duc Nguyen can also never be discounted. Expect him to make up ground in the second half of the race, when some of the others may blow up in their enthusiasm. And what to think of the unexpected return of Cao Ngoc Ha? The number 8 of the 2017 Asia Trail Master Championship is making a return to high-level trail running after spending the past three years in - mainly - triathlon. Cao Ngoc Ha had some great results in ATM 2017, including a win at VJM. Yet, three years is a long time in competitive sports..

Other well-known competitors in the race who could aim for a podium are Phi Lanh Le and Trung Dang Nguyen, the numbers three and eight in the current ATM Championship ranking.

In the women’s 100km we will most likely get another dual between ATM Championship leader Julia Duong Nguyen Thi and VJM 70 winner Nguyen Thuy Dung, although it is not yet clear if the latter will run the 100k or 70k race this weekend.

Hung Hai: can he make it a hattrick in Sapa and claim the ATM Championship lead?

Return to the trail in Sapa: Cao Ngoc Ha!

Nhon Trong: could VMM become his real breakthrough?

After taking VJM, can Romain Berion repeat that feat in VMM? (pic: VJM)

ATM Championship leader Julia Duong Nguyen Thi has been second and third already at VMM, will 2020 be third-time lucky for the win?

The covid 19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc around the world and sports and other events are now also facing setbacks in Vietnam even. Until recently, a country where life more or less went on as usual, including sports events such as Dalat Ultra Trail in June. A number of covid infections in Danang have put everyone at high alert now, however, and even the Northwest of the country does not escape that. Race Director David Lloyd has had no choice but to postpone the classic Vietnam Mountain Marathon at the Topas Lodge in Sapa for two months. The new date covers the weekend of 21-22 November 2020.

The official announcement reads as follows:

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: VMM POSTPONED | THÔNG BÁO QUAN TRỌNG: HOÃN SỰ KIỆN VMM2020 (Tiếng Việt ở dưới) We have been in consultation with Lao Cai and Sapa authorities and this week it has been decided that VMM is postponed to 20,21,22 November 2020. We know that many of you, like us here at Topas, have spent the last months hoping that VMM would happen on its usual September weekend. We are sorry to make this announcement, but we support the local authorities and believe it is in the best interests of the community. The whole team here at Topas shares your disappointment, but we will remain optimistic and continue to plan for a great next Vietnam Mountain Marathon... perhaps an even harder VMM than ever in the month of November! All those signed up for VMM 2020 have already been sent an email with full details - please check your inbox (including promotions/spam) for this information.

The same team also organises the Vietnam Jungle Marathon at the end of October. The postponement of VMM means Korea 50K is now (again) the first points race on the ATM calendar on the last weekend of September.

Following the forced postponement of Dalat Ultra Trail to 20/21 June 2020 - a weekend already occupied by both Moon 100 in Thailand and Echigo Country Trail in Japan, the Vietnam SuperTrail label will go to the Vietnam Mountain Marathon in Sapa this season. Nevertheless, the 100km and 70km races on the programme of the Dalat event remain points races for the Asia Trail Master Championship.

Two weeks ago, local authories in Vietnam ordered the organisational team of Dalat Ultra Trail to postpone the event as a precaution against further spreading of the corona virus in the country. As a new event date, the authorities decided on the 20/21 June weekend, causing the unfortunate clash with the other two abovementioned events.

Vietnam Mountain Marathon is of course the oldest classic trail event in the country. The 100km and 70km race categories have both been points races for the Asia Trail Master Championship and Grandmaster Quest for several years. VMM takes place in Sapa on 19/20 September this season and the SuperTrail label means all finishers on the two longest distance categories will receive 50 bonus points for the Championship. Note that - as usual - the 100K is the A -race (550 points for the winner) and the 70K is the B-race (420 points for the winner). VMM is organised by Topas, which also organises the Vietnam Jungle Marathon on 23 May.

To wet your appetite, you can check out the trailer video. More information via our cover page and the official website. Registration is open.

ATM Cover page

Vietnam Mountain Marathon

One week after Borneo TMBT, we move on to another classic on the Southeast Asian trail calendar, the VIetnam Mountain Marathon. Taking place in the northwestern ethnic mountain area in Sapa, VMM is arguably also the toughest in the country where trail running has seen an incredible boom over the past two years. New local hero Hung Hai will be trying to win the 100km again after his phenomenal run a year ago.

Hung Hai has been training in the Sapa area for quite some time to prepare. It will be needed because Tokyo’s Tomohiro Mizukoshi will be at the start this weekend and he is in better shape than he was in May for the Vietnam Jungle Marathon. On paper these two look like the main guys to watch on the 100k, which this year has a slightly new course with the addition of one more climb. However, Nguyen Duc Quang - who finished together as 2nd with Hung Hai in VJM 70 and has more experience - is another serious contender. The Vietnamese stars are not playing an active role in the Asia Trail Master Championship so far this season, but a second podium this weekend could of course still be a stimulant for more in the remaining races. For injury-prone Tomohiro, VMM presents an opportunity to boost his total points and edge closer to Championship points leaders Hisashi Kitamura, John Ellis and Milton Amat.

VMM is one of those races in a “new market” with lots of unknowns on the start list so there’s potentially a lot of strong contenders. One international runner who is of course very well-known is Francesca Canepa, the Italian Uglow runner who should be the leading lady on the 100 km this weekend. However, trail in Asia is not the same as in continental Europe and there lies the chance for other competitors such as Habiba Benahmed, who is improving race by race and getting closer to her best performance level again.

The 70 km option, which is actually the original VMM race category, seems to have a wider range of podium contenders this year. As 70k is a Grandmaster race distance, the winner here will still go home with 370 ATM Championship poins in the bag. The 100k winners of course collect 500. On the 70 we will find athletes such as Mads Louring, who is in-form and more than solid on the medium distance. Margono from Indonesia is making his occasional start in a trail race again. The national speed walker has a pedigree in fast trails such as Sungai Menyala Forest Trail and Tahura Trail, and it will be interesting to see how he fares on the more technical, mountainous and slightly longer course of VMM. Aaron Ong from Singapore can be expected to challenge for the podium.

In the women’s 70km we have Julia “Sugar” Nguyen Thi Duong who will be trying to please her home crowd. Hong Kong’s Jcy Ho will be in it for sure - but just a week after a strong 3rd place in Borneo TMBT she may not be at her freshest.

Julia Nguyen Thi Duong won VJM 70 last year

Hung Hai: new Vietnamese running ace

Tomohiro Mizukoshi: a prime candidate for the race win in VMM 100

Third place last week on Borneo: what’s in it this weekend for Jcy Ho?

We expect several new names to appear on the leaderboard this weekend, and ATM is of course present in Sapa for live coverage on our facebook page.

The 6th edition of the Vietnam Mountain Marathon took place in generally fine conditions with almost 3000 runners spread out over the various race distances. The women’s 100k attracted a lot of attention as it had a class field of regional top runners, several of whom are also in contention for the 2018 Asia Trail Master Championship. And one of them just added her name to the list of contenders for the title: Evelyn Lek. After winning her debut on the ultra trail distance at Magnificent Merapoh Trail in Malaysia last month, the Singaporean now also claimed top honours in Vietnam Mountain Marathon. Intermediate race updates did not have her leading, yet Lek arrived solo back at the Topas Ecolodge in 17:57. In the end she had a comfortable gap over second-placed former winner Nathalie Cochet. The French runner had been leading earlier on, but finished in 18:40. In third place was Vietnamese Australian Hoa Banh, and another half hour back was Marieke Dekkers. Philippines’ Aggy Sabanal had an off-day and retired from the race at km 64 feeling unwell.

The men’s race was quite tight with 3 runners finishing within 30 minutes. Local star Hung Nguyen Tien had taken the bull by the horns from the beginning, but had to stay focused as in-form Hisashi Kitamura was never far behind. Kitamura runs a lot of races, this was his sixth ATM points race of the season and his third 100K in six weeks. Yet, the Kuala Lumpur-based Japanese shows no sign of fatigue as 2nd in VMM is his best result of the year. In fact, by eliminating his 19th place in 9 Dragons Ultra - his worst this season - Kitamura jumps ahead of his compatriot Tomohiro Mizukoshi in the ATM standings. France’s David Fontaine grabbed third place on the podium in Sapa last weekend.

The 70 km race was won by Vietnam’s Si Hieu Nguyen and by Hong Kong’s Ngon Sin Fang in the women’s.

The 6th edition of the Vietnam Mountain Marathon at the Topas Ecolodge in Sapa proves this event has become a true Southeast Asian classic alongside Borneo TMBT Ultra in Sabah. It has become much more than just a race with more than 3000 runners registered for one of the five race distances. In the context of Asia Trail Master, as usual the Grandmaster distances of 100k and 70k are the ones that count for the championship, and the participants’ field is fantastic.

For once we start with the women’s 100k, because it is jam-packed with talented runners who are challenging for the women’s Asia Trail Master Championship to boot. To recall, Indonesia’s Ruth Theresia took an important step towards the ATM crown at her home race in Bandung last week, but despite four victories in the bag her fifth was an off-day (CMU in March). So the title battle is certainly not yet over. Philippines’ Aggy Sabanal is one of her main challengers at this moment. The very young Filippino, 22, has scored wins in Rizal and Mt Apo in her home country this season and currently ranks 3rd in the championship. Interestingly, also for Sabanal, CMU was not her greatest race as she came in sixth. What is guaranteed is that the tough mountainous jungle course of Vietnam Mountain Marathon is ideal for Sabanal. The question is: will it also be for Singapore’s Evelyn Lek? A fast newcomer on the scene last month, Lek looked very composed in winning the Magnificent Merapoh Trail in Malaysia early August. That was her debut on the 100k trail distance. Of course, Merapoh is considerably more runable than VMM, so let’s find out what Lek can do on this type of terrain. There’s a few Asia-based expats who are also in the mix for the podium battle. Ho Chi Minh-based Dutchwoman Marieke Dekkers, for instance, won the Dalat Ultra Trail and the Penang Eco 100k this year. As for Sabanal, a third victory would create options in the ATM title chase. France’s Nathalie Cochet is based in Thailand where she won Ultra Trail Panoramic 100k last December, but more importantly she won the Vietnam Mountain Marathon already once in 2016! This season, Cochet has not yet been active on the ATM tour. More contenders for the female 100k podium this weekend are Malaysia’s Siokhar Lim and home runner Vy Le Phuong.

The men’s race last year saw a fantastic victory by Quang Tran over ATM champion Manolito Divina. This season, the local Vietnamese star is opting for the 70km race, where he will obviously be the one to beat. However, he might face stiff competition from South Korea’s Kim Jisub. The latter won the Korea 50k race last April, and certainly has the speed over hilly terrain as well. Can he cope with the South East Asian humidity?

On the 100k, the men’s race seems more open on paper and who fills the podium may depend very much on the form of the day. Based on recent performances, Japan’s Hisashi Kitamura will be close, although it remains to be seen how much is left in the tank after TMMT 100 and Borneo TMBT Ultra 100 in just six weeks. Kitamura, of course, ranks 4th in the ATM Championship at the moment, having already achieved five races. His worst result is 19th in the 9 Dragons Ultra, which means a podium result at VMM this weekend may see him jump ahead of his compatriot Tomohiro Mizukoshi. France’s Regis Cabaret is the second race favourite with an extra star behind his name. Cabaret is a very experienced technical mountain runner, whose 4th place on the 50km of Borneo TMBT Ultra three weeks ago show his legs are fine these days. What to expect of Italy’s David Gianelli? Having recently moved to Thailand and work as a diving instructor, the Mount Apo winner has not had as much training time as he would have liked. Let’s find out where he stands this weekend. Other runners who could envisage a podium finish are Robert Butcher and Guillaume Degoulet, and of course several other local runners who make their debut on the international ATM scene.

Aggy Sabanal has won 2 tough races so far this season

Evelyn Lek was impressive on her 100k trail debut at TMMT last month

Kim Jisub won Korea 50k this year, what can he do in Southeast Asia?

Quang Tran was the big winner last year, this year he is on the 70 km

Amazing views along the VMM course