We are happy to announce the Lam Dong Trail in Dalat, Vietnam, as a new ATM Candidate Race from 11 to 13 November 2022. Organised by VietnamJoy and the Green Hat Joint Stock Company, the new event features several race categories of which the 70k is the flagship. Host venue of the event is the Valley of Love, not far from Dalat City.

Lam Dong is the name of the province in the Central Highlands of Vietnam, already very popular among trail runners due to the moderate climate and cooler temperatures. The event is part of a bigger community initiative called VietnamJoy, which was born with the desire to bring people back to nature through forest paths, climbing waterfalls or magical cloud-piercing peaks. Running terrain is not only a test of the toughness of the body, but also a connection with nature. Every breath, step by step opens up every beautiful scenery of Vietnam.

Despite the estimated elevation gain of 2850 hm, the terrain in and around Dalat is known to be quite runable. November marks the start of the colder season, and runners will be treated by mystic foggy landscapes in vast hilly pine forests. If 70k is too long, runners can also choose between 45km, 21km or 10km race categories.

Dalat is well-connected via air and road from Ho Chi Minh City. It is a tourism destination in its own right, which has plenty of accommodation options and things to see and experience.

All detailed information can be found on the official website, in both Vietnamese and English.

The day before the race in Mu Cang Chai we had an opportunity to talk to Hau Ha, overall winner of the Vietnam Mountain Marathon 100 km two weeks earlier. Hau Ha is the new Southeast Asian trail star and one of the big favourites to become 2022 Asia Trail Master Champion this coming December. The full interview is in Vietnamese and summarised in English and can be watched via our ATM YouTube channel. The transcript highlights are below.

The interview was made possible by Trung Nguyen and Markus Gnirck, with special thanks to both!

Q: It’s only 2 weeks since your amazing victory at VMM 100K, how do you look back on that day and your unique performance today?

“On the way to CP4 on the longest climb I felt tired and had to let Gaetan Morizur go. But later at the CP they told me he was not that far ahead, and that gave me a big boost in confidence and so I decided to chase him down again, and by CP 6 I caught him and then left him behind me on the way to finish. “

“I am from Sapa and I know all the trails, which of course was an advantage for me.

Q: In Dalat in March, you finished behind Morizur, Nhon Trong and Nguyen Si Hieu. Now you beat them in VMM. Nhon Trong was even two hours behind you. Does that surprise you?

“In Dalat Ultra Trail I was still managing an injury, which slowed me down. Especially in the second part of that race. But in VMM, I was 100% fit, better prepared and so I was not surprised about my performance”

Q. It did not look like you were running at your top limit at VMM. You can still go faster if you have to?

“Yes, I can go even faster with water melon! My stomach needs water melon on race day!”

Q: You ran a couple of road marathons and also shorter distance races this year. Do you think it helped you to develop a faster pace on the trails?

“I don’t think running road marathon races helps my performance on trails, but the specific training for those marathons does, yes.”

Q: You are a single mum, you have a son, and you run a travel tour company. How do you find the time to train?

“I found a way to balance daily life and sports and I like to continue to do this moving forward”

Q: You are coached by Guim, a former elite athlete from Spain and based in Hanoi. How did you get to know him and how important is he for you when preparing for races?

“I like MUDE Sports, the apparel brand launched by Guim, and especially the philosophy behind the brand that is using 100% recycled materials, which is very environmentally friendly. Important for Vietnam. Also, Mude is produced locally, which helps our local economy. As a coach, Guim has helped me lot with my training plans and with custom designing the right products for me to use and wear while running. “

Q: Two years ago, you started running because you wanted to lose weight and now you dominate men in the most iconic race in Vietnam. Do you realise you are very quickly becoming a role model, an idol, for many women around Asia? What is your message to women in this context?

“I believe that all the women in the world can do the same, as long as they have a dream and the passion to pursue that dream. I believe that women who are passionate about sports will develop a strong character and also a nice, healthy body.”

Q: You were already a public secret in Vietnam before VMM, now dozens of thousands of trail runners across the whole of Asia know you. How does that make you feel?

“I do not feel anything special about it, I just feel passionate about sports, and it has become my lifestyle.”

Q: The ATM Championship is a goal for you this year. We heard that you are looking forward to racing against Veronika Vadovicova, Vanja Cnops and the other top women in Asia?

“Yes, it would be nice to compete against other top women in Asia on medium or longer distance trails. I am looking forward to meeting them and run with them.”

Last weekend’s Mu Cang Chai Trail saw the two anticipated race winners cross the finish line first, indeed. Hau Ha once more demonstrated her speed and trail skills to take the women’s and overall title, while Trung Nguyen proved that on his day and on his type of terrain he is always a serious podium contender. The leading lady of Vietnamese trail running won for the third time in ATM this season and is now virtually guaranteed of her spot in her country’s national team for the ATM Championship Final in Philippines on 17 December. T8 athlete Trung Nguyen also sees a major boost to his qualification chances for… Team Singapore. Because that’s the passport he is holding.

The 50k race in the stunningly beautiful region of Mu Cang Chai did not go entirely smoothless. Alleged marking sabotage caused issues for plenty a runner, including Hau Ha. As in VMM two weeks ago, she had started and set a solid pace from the gun, but found herself off course quite a bit around the 15km mark. When she got back on the right trail, she had dropped down to fourth place overall. Yet, in no time she was catching up with male race leader Trung Nguyen and decided to stuck with him for the remainder of the race. Trung is indeed known and respected for his meticulous planning and ability to self-navigate using GPS. Some ten minutes behind the lead duo, South Africa’s Timothy Lombard and Nguyễn Đức Tuấn Anh had a battle for second place decided in favour of the foreign athlete. Nguyễn Đức Tuấn Anh is doing a great job for his ATM Vietnam ranking with his third top placing of the season and looks set for a Team Vietnam invitation in the ATM Final! The women’s 50k podium was completed by Vũ Thị Lan Hương and Nguyen Phuong, winner of VMM 100 MIles two weeks ago. In fourth place was Japan’s Harada Tamae.

Hau Ha and Trung Nguyen crossed the finish line together as race winners in Mu Cang Chai

It’s only two weeks after Vietnam Mountain Marathon, but this weekend our eyes are fixed on the country again. Mu Cang Chai Trail is a new entry on our ATM Championship calendar after a successful stint as a Candidate, and it features a 50k main race in a very picturesque region of Northwest Vietnam. Moreover, the fantastic overall winner of the 100k a fortnight ago is already back in action: Hau Ha!

As can be seen on the elevation profile below, the Mu Cang Chai Trail course has roughly nine identifiable hilltops, reminiscent of Jember Hills in Indonesia last month. On these hills, runners will adore astonishing views of rice terraces and the surrounding vegetation. Mu Cang Chai is also the name of the area, which is being promoted as a new adventure tourism destination. The event this weekend is a boutique event with homestay accommodation for participants in the style of Cordillera Mountain Ultra in Philippines, Bukit Lawang Orang Utan Trail in Sumatra and, indeed, Vietnam Jungle Marathon next month.

When she crossed the finish line at VMM, it was quite clear she had not gone to her limit. Already the next morning, Hau Ha told her coach that she feels ‘fine’ and ‘no pain anywhere’. Mu Cang Chai is therefore a go. This weekend, the objective is to collect another 500 ATM points and ensure her qualification for Team Vietnam in the Asia Trail Master Championship Final on 17 December: the Mount Apo Sky Race in Davao, Philippines. While she is of course the sky high race favourite, it is interesting to see Nguyen Phuong also on the MCC start list. Nguyen Phuong is the winner of the … 100 miles race at VMM two weeks ago!

The men’s race is quite open on paper. 2020/21 ATM points leader Trung Nguyen will be competing and has definitely podium potential. Technically Singaporean, Trung can also significantly boost his selection chances for Team Singapore in the ATM Final this weekend. Most likely, we will also get to know some new faces in this race, with local runners grabbing the opportunity to run themselves into the picture.

Ha Hau spent some time exploring the magnificent Mu Cang Chai region this week

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

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by AsiaTrailMaster (@asiatrailmaster)

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

Alongside the three Vietnamese classics in the Asia Trail Master Championship series, we have a new points race this year that takes place in a stunning landscape as well: Mu Cang Chai Trail Ultra. The event, which will be organised for the 2nd time, is scheduled for 24 September and has a 50k as the main race category.

Mu Cang Chai is located in the Northwest of Vietnam, albeit somewhat lower than Sapa, the famous trekking and tourism town that functions as host of the Vietnam Mountain Marathon every year. This is hilly, if not mountainous, terrain and so one does need to spend some time on a motorised vehicle to reach it. Furtunately, the event organisation is having shuttle busses from Hanoi, and one package option also includes already the local homestay in Mu Cang Chai. The logistical details can be checked below and via the official event registration page.

ATM Championship contenders need to sign up for the 50k race to score points in their attempt to enter Team Vietnam for the ATM Final in December. Less ambitious runners can also opt for the 25k or 15k options. Great to see is also that the 50k main race will start at 5am, meaning participants actually get to see the breathtaking landscape of Mu Cang Chai. The precise route will be made public in due course. Registration is already open.

The rice terraces of Mu Cang Chai at their most stunning

The 2022 edition of Dalat Ultra Trail confirmed the emergence of two new trail stars based in Vietnam. Frenchman Gaetan Morizur was too strong for Nhon Trong and Nguyen Si Hieu in the men’s, and Ha Ti Hau dominated the women’s race in highly impressive manner, proving that all the rumours about her were true. DLUT was the first major trail running event in the country after the relaxation of anti-covid measures in Vietnam some weeks ago. Despite the short notice, more than 4000 runners took part in the event across the various race distance categories. About 280 signed up for the longest one: the 70 km, on a new course that was significantly different from 2019 and featured the technical late-race ascent and descent of Lang Biang mountain, the highest peak in the Central Highlands at over 2100 metres above sea level.

From the start at 4 am, roughly an hour-and-a-half before sunrise, three runners distinguished themselves already by the km 10 mark (CP1). Gaetan Morizur, Nguyen Si Hieu and Nhon Trong, the trio that would stay ahead and battling for the podium places for the whole day. Behind them already then was Ha Ti Hau, first woman, who put distance between her and a small group of ther women led by Vu Thi Lan Huong at this point but also including Julia Nguyen Thi Duong , the highest ranked female in the 2020/21 ATM series before it got cancelled due to the covid pandemic.

Approaching the halfway point at CP5 and following a long uphill section in a magnificent pine forest with great vistas, Morizur dropped Nhon Trong, who was fighting hard to keep the gap to a minimum. Nguyen Si Hieu lost about ten minutes. Ha Ti Hau looked strong and safe, as the gap to the next women had increased to over 40 minutes already. Julia Nguyen Thi Duong and Vu Thi Lan Huong were still together and eventually also rank in that order at the finish line in the afternoon. And so did the men in fact. Morizur did not wait for anyone after the midway climb and pressed on. Nhon Trong could not bridge the gap and on Lang Biang mountain felt Nguyen Si Hieu creeping closer to him again.

Morizur took his first ever victory in an ATM race, visibly tired from the effort but excited nonetheless. He had a 39-minute advantage over Nhon Trong, who struggled towards the end and managed to keep Nguyen Si Hieu behind by 7 minutes. Nhon Trong said he had just recovered from illness and still felt it, while Nguyen Si Hieu looked relatively fresh after scoring his fourth podium place in an ATM points race (he won once, VMM 70k in 2018).

On our ATM facebook page you can find several video clips shot during the 70km race, including the race finish of Gaetan Morizur, Nhon Trong, Nguyen Si Hieu and Ha Ti Hau.

We are happy to have received good news from Vietnam: the popular Dalat Ultra Trail is back on the schedule in 2022, and will even take place quite soon on the last weekend of March. After the tragic flash flood edition during the rainy season in 2020, the event is thus moved forward again to its usual March slot, at the end of the dry season. ATM Championship contenders and Grandmaster Quest challengers need to focus on the 70 km race.

The 2019 edition of the event was an absolute highlight of that year’s Asia Trail Master series with excellent weather and a beautiful varied course encouraging runners to give the best of themselves. After local hero Quan Tran faded dramatically in the latter part of the race, Hisashi Kitamura looked like he was going to collect what would have been his first ever ATM race victory. However, John Ellis dug as deep he could and still caught up with the Karate Kit and dropped in the final few kilometres to grab what turned out to be very relevant victory in the context of winning the ATM Championship later in the year.

The women’s race was equally interesting as two former ATM Champions went head-to-head for the first… and till today also the last time. Malaysia’s Tahira Najmunisaa, our 2016 champion and until then unbeaten in ATM races, returned to the trails after a stressful period of her life, and put the hammer down from the get-go. But Hong Kong-based Kim Matthews, who succeeded Tahira as champion in 2017 before suffering a nasty hip injury, had a bit more endurance training in the legs and took the lead just over halfway the 70k race. Time flies, it has been three years since both great and inspiring women scored headlines on the ATM scene. Let’s hope that we can welcome both of them back this coming season.

Meanwhile, several local Vietnamese runners have been gaining experience and improving their overall trail running performance. Whereas in 2019, the top 20 of the men’s race was almost entirely foreign, this year we could expect local heroes to contest the podium places even if strong runners from other nationalities make the trip to Dalat. The authorities in Vietnam have announced the country will open the borders on 15 March, and do away with quarantine mandates and nearly all covid-related restrictions. While awaiting the precise regulations to come out, it does sound like the 2022 Dalat Ultra Trail will be the first Vietnamese race in two years that is not limited to domestic runners-only.

DLUT is characterised by quite a runable but hilly course that traverses pine forests. The race takes place just outside the city of Dalat, which is one the big tourist attractions in southern Vietnam. It’s essentially sitting on a hill plateau at approx 1500m above sea level, which implies temperatures are nowhere near as hot as in the coastal cities. In fact, it can be cold in the early morning and at night. Ideal for the majority of runners. As the city itself is also the event base, accommodation is easy to find and non-running friends and family members can spend an enjoyable weekend sightseeing as you compete in the race.

Registration is open and can be done online via the link to the official website below.

Typical view of Dalat Ultra Trail: runners in pine forest

With hindsight John Ellis took an important step towards his 2019 ATM crown in Dalat by catching and passing Hisashi Kitamura a few kilometres before the finish

Fantastic women’s podium in 2019: 2017 ATM Champion Kim Matthews edges 2016 Champ Tahira Najmunisaa and 2019 vice-champion Christine Loh took third place.

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?