The Vietnam Jungle Marathon (VJM) is set to start in Pu Luong Nature Reserve in the central province of Thanh Hoa from April 13 to April 15.

The Vietnam Jungle Marathon will start in Pu Luong Nature Reserve in the central province of Thanh Hoa from April 13 to April 15 (Photo courtesy of organiser)

Participants will compete on 25-km, 42-km and 70-km routes, which traverse through the lush jungles, limestone cliffs and rice paddies.

On their trails, runners will meet with ethnic minorities and plodding buffaloes, before celebrating with a special party at Ban Hang village after the race.

The VJM is an official Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) qualifying race. UTMB is a race of the Ultra-trail world tour. So, the event will provide a great opportunity for runners to gain points to join the UTMB race.

Runners can register via the website vietnamjunglemarathon.com.

The race is organised by Topas Travel, founder of Vietnam’s longest established and hardest ultra race, Sa Pa’s Vietnam Mountain Marathon.

Last year, the tournament attracted some 300 runners from 32 nations. Almost half of the 300 participants were Vietnamese. - VNA