Race Review Vietnam Mountain Marathon
EVENT. NAME: Vietnam Mountain Marathon 42km
Other distances offered 10, 70 and 100km.
VENUE: Sa Pa, Vietnam
DATE: 23 Sept 2017 Time: 07:30 [07:30]
Headline Event Owners: Topaz Travel
Event Organising Company: Topaz Travel
Race Director: David Lloyd
Timing company: unknown
Registration company: Direct
PLEASE NOTE: This review is based on my personal observations and experience of the event and is intended to be helpful to other runners for their future event selection and also to aid the organisers by giving an honest and unbiased opinion of both the good and the not so good elements as I found them. Where, on the rare occasion I have used information other than my own it will be clearly stated as such and will have been from a trusted source and corroborated by others.
THE EVENT
EVENT SCORE CARD SUMMARY
PRE-RACE.
Entry and information:
Initial event information and updates: Reg detailed were full and very informative and the use of social media was frequent and relevant and constantly updated. 10/10.
Contact: Facebook, Web-site, Phone, E-mail were all available. My only interaction was by e-mail and unfortunately it took three attempts before my problem was solved, but the resolution reflected their regret for the delayed answer. 9/10.
Categories: Male/female open and Vet only. 5/10.
Value of entry: At 139US$ (c. RM585) the cost of entry is considerable, but great value when everything is considered. 19/20.
Race registration and kit collection: Collection point, ease of collection: Race kit collection was basically a whole day running festival in the town square, the day prior to the event, before the race briefing. With the addition of the expo and all day musical entertainment added to the slick organisation there was little more could have been asked. 20/20.
64/70
Race start site Facilities:
Venue, space and amenities: The venue for this event is stunning and well worth the effort and expense to get to. Nothing seemed to be too much trouble for the organisers. Warm up space was a problem due to the remoteness of the starting points and cooling down was difficult at the finish due to shear numbers. 9/10.
Toilets facilities: Considering the remote location the tented toilet village at the start was welcome, the facilities at the finish were good. 8/10.
Start area: Each distance had it’s own start time and place to which competitor were bused from the town square. The start area was penned so that fast runners were given the opportunity to have a front passion start. Toilets and water were provided along with entertainment provided by a DJ and a master of ceremonies who kept up our spirits as well as updating what was happening in the distances that had already started. 9/10.
Parking and transport: 10/10.
36/40 100/110
Care of Competitors:
Starting time, race & safety briefing and control:
The race briefing was perhaps the most comprehensive I have attended. Stern warnings were given that anyone found without the required kit would be disqualified and removed from the course. There were some participants that felt the start times for the shorter distances could have been earlier, personally I had no problem with my start time. 10/10.
Medical facilities. Start/finish and on course: This was a very tough course and I would have expected first aid facilities at all the check points. I saw no evidence of any first aid on the course. 10/20.
20/30 120/140
THE RACE.
Organisation:
Course management:
This was an extremely difficult course that was so well managed, the course markings were frequent and clear and all major junctions were manned. It would have been difficult, even for me, to have gotten lost. 30/30.
Course design and enjoyment factor: Excellent – Very High - High – Low As brutal as the last climb and descent were, Silverstone Mountain, coming just seven kilometres from the end, makes this the tough challenge that it is. The variation within the course is extreme and keeps you engaged for the duration. This is the very first course I have rated excellent and I have run some good courses in some great places but this is the first that has ticked all the boxes. 20/20.
Marshaling: There is little more to say than thank you. 15/15.
Feed stations: Staffed brilliantly, a great crowd of people who just seemed to be enjoying the event as much as those who were taking part. I did feel that there could have been a little food variety offered and perhaps one additional station. 13/15.
78/80 198/220
POST RACE.
Finish line: I just love the medal being placed around your neck as you cross the line, it seems to add something to the adulation you feel in just finishing an event like this one.
The food choice seemed to be have soup and bread or don’t have soup and bread, but, I must say it was bloody good and very, very welcoming.
Waiting time for the showers and massage were long due to the number of users. 8/10.
Resting and cool down areas: Good – Sufficient – Lacking.
There was little room for anything approaching a cool down run at the finishing area but the swimming pool offered an excellent alternative. 9/10.
Finishing information: The master of ceremonies at the finish area kept us all happy with his running commentary of finishers.
The prize ceremony was well attended and very well timed just after the finish of the following days 10km event, again well organised and not over the top. I was a little disappointed that the age group winners were not at least mentioned but we can’t have everything now can we. 9 /10.
26/30 224/250
AFTER EVENT
Results: The results were very prompt and I was so pleased to see that they were age grouped and comprehensive. 20/20.
Post event communication: Good – Limited – None.
I don’t understand why organisers rarely follow up on their events, keeping the good vibes alive is all good for the future. 2/10.
22/30 Grand Total 246/280 giving an overall score for this event of 87.9%
COMMENTS: This was not just a fantastic event, the highest I have ever scored, but it should also be an inspiration to other events. No prize money and it still managed to bring around 3000 participants from 50 countries around the world to a remote area of Vietnam. Plus this not for profit event donated over 386,000,000 VDN (c. RM32000) to their chosen charity, New-borns Vietnam, and retained the same amount to spend locally on schools and social projects like building or repairing village bridges etc.
Would I return to this event: No – Unlikely – Possibly – Yes hopefully next year.
Happy Running
When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
Photographs curtesy of: Longbienmarathon, Lance
My personal race.
8:27:16 [42.6 Kms, 1436mtrs vertical ascent]
1st. age group [60 plus]. 103rd. of 561 Overall.
My race was to be a meeting of friends and run as an LSD due to me carrying the injury picked up in my last event, a double groin hernia, I am actually writing this review from my hospital bed after surgery for the very same injury. So I started very near the back of the pack and took it very easy on this very hard but stunning Mountain Marathon challenge. Well at least while running uphill a few kilometers on a remote asphalt road, but on turning onto an old path down a slippery jungle trail connecting villages in two valleys, at this single file section I just had to stay with those in front of me and it felt good, it felt very good, well it did until I was stung by a wasp. Just on the top of my arm, but I am sure that being full to the brim with adrenaline numbed the pain, however as time went on my arm got weaker and weaker to point where just lifting my pole was an effort.
This was the land of both Black H’mong and Red Dao minorities. We will run through their small wooden village gates and past them harvesting their rice. It was at this point as I, gazelle like, leapt from trail to paddy that my feet slid from under me and I crashed to the floor, sloth like, banging my head on a rock. I laid senseless, not unheard of, for a while but soon help arrived in the person of two unknown runners who stopped and made sure I was functioning properly before they moved on, I don’t know who you are but many, many thanks. From here on in I was reminded by my thumping head to take it easy.
The first climb was serious and it required some power walking for some sections. The trail then circumnavigated a mountain covered by more rice fields and a forest and we dropped down into the limestone valley of Ta Phin to connect with the half marathon route as we crossed the main road.
This quite steady section led us to Silverstone Mountain, the last seven kilomtres for all four distances for the day. Silverstone was that steep it was unrunnable, at times four-wheel drive was absolutely necessary. Long and painful but I pushed on with just one short stop to allow three faster moving athletes through, thank you guys you may have saved my life, and on to the peak and the nice downhill almost to the finish.
Cresting Silverstone and onto, where was the nice downhill? The heavy rains that had battered the area over the previous weeks had washed away all the soil, so much so that the downhill section had to be run, slowly and very carefully, on a moving bed of rocks. In some ways the descent was tougher than the ascent and there was no picking up time.
A further one or two kilomtres from the base to the finish on pleasantly undulating tarmac was heaven sent, as was the very enthusiastic welcome at the Topaz Resort.
Just a little advice; if you are thinking of trying this event do it now! They are ruining Sa Pa town building mega hotels and shopping malls that no locals want, white elephants that are filling someone’s pockets.
