The VJM 50KM - Ultra Marathon
IMPORTANT: Read the RACE RULES HERE.
Distance: 47.9km | Elevation gain 1,800m
Start time: 5:00, Saturday, 19-10-2024
Start location: Leo village’s football field (Thanh Lam Commune, Ba Thuoc District) – Google maps
(Our crew will be on hand to advise independent drivers at the start area.)
CUT-OFF: 15:30 at CP5 – 17:30 at CP6 – 20:00 at CP7 – 22:00 at CP8 – 00:00 at FINISH
Finish location: Ban Hang Race Village (Quan Hoa District) – Google maps
Age Restriction: Entrants to VJM 50km must be at least 18 years old on race day.
Qualification: To run VJM 50km, you must have previously completed at least one chip timed trail race of 20km+. Virtual races do not qualify.
On registration, please provide a URL link to your qualifying result (Topas result link, UTMB Index, ITRA Index, or similar). If you plan to complete a qualifying race between now and race day, you must send us your result by 30 days prior to the race date.
Failure to provide evidence of a qualifying past performance will result in refusal of entry and the refund terms stand.
Finish Bag
Handing in your bag: 01 bag/01 runner at the START LINE
Please prepare your own bag. Bags must be sealed/closed.
Do not include valuables – the organiser cannot be held responsible for any loss.
ATTACH your luggage tag (given at the race pack collection) on your finish bag before bringing it to the start line.
Picking up your bag after the race: at the FINISH
Note: no individual requests for bag transfers can be facilitated. ALL bags are moved together.
MANDATORY EQUIPMENT
Top 3 VJM Runners will have mandatory kit inspections.
Other kit inspections are carried out at random, including at the start line.
Lack of mandatory kit will result in disqualification (DSQ) or time penalty.
Refusal of kit check = DSQ
Please note we disqualified runners at every event in the past year for lacking kit. Be prepared and carry what you need.
Course description
Our 50km offers an ultra distance route of extreme beauty.
The start area is in beautiful Ban Leo. Runners will first enjoy a loop around the ethnic minority houses here, before heading into great single track trail.
A short jungle section will then lead you to another great descent down to the broad valley dotted with villages.
Once down in the valley floor you will run among paddies and on mixed, runnable paths with amazing views all around.
You will then reach a pretty river crossing and head onto another runnable trail section alongside the river. As the trail rolls with small climbs you will get some more great views, this time of the river valley.
Next, you will race through tiny villages and past waterwheels to the picturesque village of Ban Hieu.
This fairytale settlement features traditional stilt houses which dot the hillside and a turquoise river with rapids and waterfalls which cascades down to the valley floor.
After reaching the top of the climb here, you will enjoy sweeping views of the valley before descending back down and running through a broad rice-filled valley which will hopefully be a magical gold colour during this season.
Along this section you will run through more small ethnic minority villages, crossing the front yards of some houses!
After a climb into the Nature Reserve, you will face a tough jungle section with some narrow, technical trail and a very steep climb we like to call ‘The Spike’, but locally it is called ‘Doc Quyt’.
You will then be rewarded with an utterly spectacular view of a valley ringed with incredibly steep, jungled limestone mountains. This is a big highlight of the course.
During October, the colours of the rice fields are at their very best, so the knockout views of vibrant rice paddies and jungle-clad mountains will make all but the most fiercely competitive stop for a photo opportunity!
Once down in the valley a flat section of beautiful trail leads through the picturesque village of Kho Muong, from where you will face a long final climb before a short hilly tarmac section with yet more awesome views.
After descending back down into the Nature Reserve on ‘wonder trails’, you will reach another small settlement and from here you are on the finishing stretch of trail through a breathtaking valley.
After crossing some bamboo and wood bridges, you will be on the home run to the Ban Hang Race Village where a well deserved meal and the finish party await.
VJM 50km is a 2-point qualifying race for ITRA, an ITRA National League race, and a 50K UTMB Index race.