Asia Pacific Trail Running Championships 2026
Vietnam Athlete Team Selection – Criteria & Process
Wuyishan, Fujian Province, China · 24–28 November 2026
Vietnam has been invited to participate in the 2026 Asia Pacific Trail Running Championships (APTRC) in China, which runs alongside the Grand Wuyi Trail Race.
In the absence of an official Vietnam Trail Running Federation, three representatives are coordinating Vietnam’s entry into the competition, as per the APTRC 2024 process.
The representatives in Vietnam are: Thuong Vu (Race Director, Dalat Ultra Trail); David Lloyd (Race Director, Vietnam Mountain Marathon); and Hien Tran (Official ITRA Runner Representative, Vietnam).
Note: Info on the South East Asia Trail Running Cup will follow in another post.
Event Information
Race
Asia Pacific Trail Running Championships (APTRC) 2026
Date
24–28 November 2026
Location
Wuyishan, Fujian Province, China
Website
Hosts/Organiser
The 2026 event is co-hosted by the Fujian Provincial Sports Bureau, the People’s Government of Nanping City, and ITRA, and is organized by the People’s Government of Wuyishan City. Brand operations for the event are led by Xiamen Ruixing Culture Development Co., Ltd.Grand Wuyi Trail Race.
Race Categories
The APTRC 2026 includes three championship races:
- Long Trail – approximately 80 km
- Short Trail – approximately 40 km
- U23 Trail – approximately 15 km (athletes aged 23 and under)
Vietnam Team Entry Quotas
Vietnam may submit the following maximum number of athletes per gender:
Eligibility Criteria
| Category | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
|
Long Trail (~80 km) |
Up to 8 |
Up to 8 |
|
Short Trail (~40 km) |
Up to 8 |
Up to 8 |
|
U23 Trail (~15 km) |
Up to 4 |
Up to 4 |
Athlete eligibility is determined by ITRA Performance Index Rankings as of 31 May 2026 at 23:59 UTC.
These athletes must be ranked within Vietnam as follows:
- Long Trail & Short Trail: Top 30 athletes per gender (General Performance Index)
- U23 Trail: Top 20 athletes per gender (U23/U20/U18 Performance Index)
The list of athletes currently listed on ITRA can be viewed by visiting https://itra.run/Runners/Ranking and sorting by Vietnam + Gender + Category General. Add Age U23 for the Age rankings.
The Top 30 overall and Top 20 U23 on 11/5/2026 can also be viewed here.
Note: From May 7-8 2026, the team at Topas worked with ITRA on these lists to merge many duplicate accounts.
Performance Index updates recorded after 31 May 2026 will not be considered for eligibility purposes.
Selection Process
Athletes in the Top 30 overall or Top 20 U23 who wish to join the team should express their interest by emailing aptrcvietnam@gmail.com. Deadline: July 15.
Please indicate which distance you wish to race in.
Athletes who apply to be on the team will be selected based on the highest ITRA ranking.
Wildcard Entries
In addition to standard selections, Vietnam’s recognised representatives may request:
- Maximum of 1 wildcard per gender, per race category
- Wildcard athletes must demonstrate strong recent results within the last 18 months
- All wildcard requests are subject to joint review by ITRA and the Local Organising Committee (LOC)
If you are not in the Top 30 (or Top 20 U23) and believe you should have a wildcard entry, please contact us at aptrcvietnam@gmail.com.
Free Accommodation and Food at the Event
Quota Athletes
Up to 20 Quota Athletes per country/region receive full-board twin-room accommodation (breakfast, lunch and dinner) at the official hotel, for up to 5 nights.
Nights are counted from each athlete’s individual date of arrival.
- Long Trail: 4 men + 4 women (total 8)
- Short Trail: 4 men + 4 women (total 8)
- U23 Trail: 2 men + 2 women (total 4)
The free accommodation is allocated to those with the top ITRA scores in each distance.
Therefore, while up to 40 athletes may join the team, only 20 free accommodation slots are available. Those free accommodation slots are allocated to the runners with the highest ITRA ranking.
Any athlete beyond this quota is responsible for their own accommodation payment.
Travel and Other Costs
Travel and other costs must be funded by the athlete, or by their individual sponsors.
At present, Vietnam has no official body or national funding for a trail team.
Key Dates
Deadline to apply to join
July 15 2026 (to give ample time to finalise all team members before the competition entry deadline of 15 August)
Race dates
24 – 28 November 2026
Individual Entry
Individual entry is limited and available only after Team Entries have been processed (16–31 August 2026), subject to remaining capacity and Performance Index rankings. Athletes wishing to enter individually should monitor the official APTRC website for registration details.
Team kit / uniform
The team kit is to be confirmed. No details are available yet.
Any party interested in sponsoring team kit is invited to contact us using aptrcvietnam@gmail.com.
Contact
To apply for a place on the team, or to ask questions, please email aptrcvietnam@gmail.com.
Race information: www.aptrc2026.com · ITRA rankings: itra.run/Runners/Ranking