Records fall at Vietnam Trail Marathon 2026
Over 4000 raced the Trails of Moc Chau at VTM 2026, with perfect conditions and solid competition seeing course records tumble.
Runners from 43 nations gave VTM 2026 a richly international feel and the top ten 70km and 42km results put a mix of international flags on display.
Once again, Moc Chau proved to be a much-loved trail running destination, thanks to many factors, chief among them the magic of the landscapes and the warmth of the local welcome. An extremely high finish rate also put a smile on many faces: 96% of the 70km runners finished and the overall finish rate was across all distances was 98%.
The 70km race
The winner of the men’s 70km race was Ricky Sung, from Taiwan, in a time of 06:40:52. Ricky took the lead from Vang A Tung at Checkpoint 4, then held it all the way to the finish.
This was Ricky’s debut race in Vietnam. He said: “It was an unforgettable journey, with lots of help from the staff and volunteers and the smiling residents. It was a unique trail, combining climbs with downhills to feel like a speedy running roller coaster!”
After Ricky made the move at Checkpoint 4, Vang A Tung held on to second place, while his fellow Sapa runner Lo A Dao took third spot. In the end, very little separated the pair, with times of 6:45:33 and 6:46:51.
The women’s champion was Dening Lo, from Singapore, who returned to the trails of Moc Chau after winning the 42km last year.
She said: “Returning to VTM after running the 42km last year was an easy decision: cool weather, flowers, towering karsts, quiet valleys, remote villages… There is something about the valleys carpeted with blossoming flowers and spring green leaves surrounded by the karst scenery that just gets me. The race finish line at the tea plantation was awesome. I won’t be forgetting that any time soon!”
Dening clocked a time of 7:26:47, beating the previous best time on the current length course of 8:26:48, set last year.
Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Ngoc Anh came home in second with a time of 8:08:36. Last year’s winner, Giang Thi Linh, then took third in 8:38:50.
VTM 42km
In her first race in Vietnam, France’s Claire Jacquin took an emphatic victory, taking the course record by a huge margin, with a time of 4:12:20.
She also took 3rd place overall (including the men). Leading from tape to tape, by the first checkpoint she had a gap of over 10 minutes. She then proceeded to gain time throughout the race, with an eventual lead of 18 minutes.
She said: “I loved it. The atmosphere was incredible, with all the support from the volunteers and the locals, especially all the kids along the course.”
The second woman, Belgium’s Vanja Cnops was racing for the fourth time at VTM. Twice a winner here before, she took second with a time of 4:30:35, followed by Phung Trang with 4:52:41.
Sapa’s Sung A Su won the men’s 42km race. He arrived at the first checkpoint in the lead, with over 2 minutes between him and second. He then never looked back; by the finish the gap was nine minutes to second place, Ireland’s Stephen Barkey. Vu Duc Huy from Vietnam then took third place in a time of 4:14:36.
VTM 21km
Poland’s Michal Lesniak took a commanding win in the 21km, leading from start to finish. Having previously scored podiums at VUM and VMM, Michal was very happy to stand on the top step at VTM, taking his maiden Topas race win. His time was 02:01:02.
The second place and the third place were both from Vietnam: Nguyen Xuan Tu in 2:07:41 and Tran Dai Sang, with a time of 2:15:25.
In the women’s race it was a full Vietnamese podium. Tran Duyen, defending 21km champion from 2025 returned in style, taking the win with a dominating title defense in 2:24:40. Another past VTM champ, Leo Thi Tinh, followed in second with a time of 2:30:57. Nguyen Thi Mai then rounded out the podium in 02:32:43.
VTM 10km
The male champion of VTM 10k was John McDonagh, of Ireland. This was his first ever trail race, and he broke the tape in 00:49:08.
Second was Hoang Duc Huy in 00:51:41, while Sapa’s Ly A Bang took third in 00:52:06.
The women’s 10km was a Vietnam show of force, with a win for Hoang Thi Cham in 00:56:06, followed by Pham Thi Ban and Tran Phuong Trinh with tims of 00:57:39 and 1:03:40.