The Vietnam Trail Marathon officially kicked off in Moc Chau district in the northern mountainous province of Son La on January 18 evening.

The opening ceremony of the Vietnam Trail Marathon in Moc Chau, Son La

The two-day event drew the participation of nearly 1,900 racers from 39 countries and territories. 

Top trail runners of Vietnam, Tran Duy Quang and Cao Ngoc Ha, have competed in the event along international leading athletes such as Jo Meek of the UK, and Moritz auf der Heide of Germany. 

This is the first time the tournament has been held in Moc Chau and the third competition in the chain of trail marathon events held by Topas.

As the biggest trail marathon event in Asia, runners will compete in a wide range of distances from 10-70km. 

Those who compete in the 70km distance started at 4am in Moc Chau, running through flower valleys in full bloom and remote villages, ending up at the Trai Tim (heart) tea hill. 

As planned, over 550 million VND (around 23,726 USD) will be allocated to projects in Moc Chau, which aim to reduce the infant mortality rate as well as provide cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries for children. 

Topas has been operating in Vietnam since the 1990s in the field of adventure tourism, focusing on organising sports and outdoor events.–VNA