The VJM 70KM - Ultra Marathon
IMPORTANT: Read the RACE RULES HERE.
Distance: 67.2km | Elevation gain 2,850m
Start time: 4:00, Saturday, 2025 race date is to be updated
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: 11:00 at CP3 – 14:00 at CP4 – 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 70km must be at least 18 years old on race day.
Qualification: To run VJM 70km, you must have previously completed at least one chip timed 40km+ ultra mountain race with significant elevation. Virtual races do not qualify. Loop/lap trail events with laps under 20km 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.
Course description
Our 70km offers an ultra distance route of extreme beauty.
This is a challenging ultra-trail Marathon with plenty of climbs and descents interspersed with runnable flatter sections. A lot of our runners name this as their favourite course, not only for its beauty, but for its mix of terrain, providing good sections of trail running on the flats and the downs, alongside the more challenging uphill sections.
The course takes runners through all of the landscapes that the Nature Reserve has to offer.
The race begins in beautiful Leo village with a loop around the ethnic minority houses here. After some trail climbing you will enjoy some awesome, runnable downhill single-track sections bringing you to a stunning valley with mountains all around.
You will pass through more small minority villages bringing you to a feature unique to our race: a bridge we create just for our runners, using a series of big, bamboo rafts.
After Checkpoint 2 comes your first major climb: Doi Troi, or Heaven Hill… otherwise known as The Beast.
This is a steep, but beautiful ascent. Near the top you will emerge from jungle onto a grass field with incredible views of the course that awaits you.
Another great trail off the top brings you down to the small village of Eo Dieu and Checkpoint 3.
You then have a long, runnable descent back down into the valley, where you will race through tiny villages and past waterwheels to the picturesque village of Ban Hieu at Checkpoint 4.
This fairytale settlement features traditional stilt houses which dot the hillside and a turquoise river with rapids and waterfalls cascading down to the valley floor. Your trail here will also take you into the jungle, climbing up alongside the village.
After reaching the top of the climb, you will enjoy sweeping views of the valley before descending back down on another great trail section giving you even more great views on the way to checkpoint 5. and running through a broad rice-filled valley which will hopefully be a magical gold colour during this season.
Between checkpoint 5 and 6 you will enjoy another bamboo bridge crossing then run through small ethnic minority villages, crossing the front yards of some houses!
After Checkpoint 6 you will take a trail across to the small Thai minority settlement of Ban Pon situated in a pretty valley surrounded by jungled hills. Next comes a challenging section, with some narrow, technical trail and a very steep climb we like to call ‘The Spike’, but known locally as ‘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.
Once down in the valley, a flat section leads to the picturesque village of Kho Muong, from where you will face your final major climb up to the last checkpoint.
A couple of KM from the checkpoint, you will turn back down into the Nature Reserve for a truly breathtaking final few kilometers. You will run through stunning rice terraces with incredible limestone mountain views, passing through small, pretty villages along the way.
The last kilometer of trail brings you right into the heart of Ban Hang Race Village, where a well deserved meal and the finish party await!
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.
VJM 70km is a 3-point qualifying race for ITRA, an ITRA National League race, and a 100K UTMB Index race.