My marathons

Vietnam Trail Marathon

07:007:00 AM Moc Chau
Sơn La province
Sơn La province. Photograph by [Tycho], http://shansov.net, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The course

The organiser gives the 2027 VTM 50 km as 50.2 km with 2,000 m of climbing, a 7:00 start on Saturday 16 January and a finish that closes at 21:00.

The course in short 2 lines
  • 50.2 km, 2,000 m up, finish at 21:0050.2 km, 2,000 m up, 7:00 start, 21:00 close.
  • The 42 km became a 50 km for 2027The old 42 km, plus the Ta Phenh valley, now 50 km.
Course notes 2 short reads on the course
Whole courseGradient50.2 km, 2,000 m up, finish at 21:0050.2 km, 2,000 m up, 7:00 start, 21:00 close.

Gates close at 12:00 at checkpoint 2, 16:00 at checkpoint 5 and 19:00 at checkpoint 6. The finish is on the heart-shaped tea hill.

Sourced

Whole courseTacticsThe 42 km became a 50 km for 2027The old 42 km, plus the Ta Phenh valley, now 50 km.

The course passes the Mu Nau orchards, the Hmong village of Hang Tau and the village of Ban Doi, and finishes on the tea hill. Entrants must be at least 18 on race day.

Sourced

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

No gel needed at this pace

Finish

Under about 75 minutes most runners need no gel: water at the aid stations does it.

For your long training runs:

Our pick: SiS BETA Fuel gel, box of 6, strawberry and lime. 40 g of carbohydrate a gel, about twice a usual gel, from two kinds of sugar your body takes up side by side.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

In Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Salted Caramel, 24-pack, the best seller there.

Outside the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the UK and Ireland, Spain and Portugal, Italy, the rest of the EU and Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Chocolate Outrage, 24-pack on Amazon.com, the best seller there.

Anti-chafe
Compeed Anti-blister stick
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed anti-blister stick, 8 ml

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

An invisible layer before the start keeps seams, straps and shoes from rubbing skin raw.

Put it on before you leave for the start: heels and toes, inner thighs, under a bra or heart-rate strap.

Try it on a long run first, like everything you use on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Number belt
A race number belt
Illustration · drag to turn

Compressport Race Belt

Holds your bib without safety pins through your top, with loops for up to 8 gels.

Clip the bib on the night before, so it goes on with your shorts in the morning.

Keep the number on the front, where officials and photographers can see it.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Electrolytes
A tube of electrolyte tablets
Illustration · drag to turn

SiS Hydro electrolyte tablets, tube of 20

One tablet in a bottle puts back some of the salt you sweat out.

One tablet in 500 ml of water in the hour before the start.

Only if you have used them in training: nothing new on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Blister plasters
Compeed Blister plasters, medium, 6
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed blister plasters, medium, 6

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

One in a pocket cushions a blister if one starts.

Put it on clean, dry skin and leave it until it comes off by itself.

Give a couple to whoever comes to cheer, so they are there at the km you need them.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
distance
10.0 km6.2 mi

Race week

Timetable

Saturday 16 January Race day

  1. 07:007:00 AM

    50 km start Muong Thanh Moc Chau Hotel. Wave starts: runners who want to run fast should be in wave 1.

  2. 12:0012:00 PM

    Gate at checkpoint 2 Clock time, 50 km.

  3. 16:004:00 PM

    Gate at checkpoint 5 Clock time, 50 km.

  4. 19:007:00 PM

    Gate at checkpoint 6 Clock time, 50 km.

  5. 21:009:00 PM

    Finish closes, 50 km Heart-shaped tea hill (Doi che Trai tim)

Times as published by the organiser, in Moc Chau time, checked .

Add to calendar .ics file, times in Moc Chau time

Trip

Getting a place

Entry through the organiser

Entry details on the organiser’s site →

The organiser, a third party. We take no entries and have no part in the race.

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