VJM: Nguyen Ngoc Anh and Pacome Poignant fastest in Grandmaster Quest race

For the first time since 2019, Vietnam Jungle Marathon in Pu Luong was back on the Asia Trail Master calendar last weekend, albeit only for the Grandmaster Quest in this incredibly crowded event month. The 70km of VJM remains among the most scenic in Vietnam and in ATM, similar but still different from VTM in January.

The event this year also saw the ‘graduation’ of one of Vietnam’s female trail runners as a new Grandmaster. Thuy Bee ran and finished the 70km at VJM, which was her sixth ATM long ultra within two years. She is also a pioneer for her country, as she is the first Vietnamese woman to accomplish this feat. Thuy Bee finished VJM in 15th place in 13h51. It was tough, as she had just done the ATM Championship Final two weeks ago as well, Mu Cang Chai Ultra Trail 75km. More on her Grandmaster Quest achievement later this week.

The fastest runners last weekend were Pacome Poignant from France, who finished the men’s race in 7h25. That was fifteen minutes ahead of well-known Vietnamese runner Ngo Van Chinh. Another former ATM Finalist, Adam Nguyen Tien Vo was third in 8h16.

First woman was also an ATM Finalist from two weeks ago: Nguyen Ngoc Anh. She was fifth in the Final even, so she clearly recovered very well. Nguyen Ngoc Anh finished VJM 70 in 10h02. A good twenty minutes ahead of Phuong Thi Hong Nhung. Another established runner in Vietnam, Le Phuong Vy was third on the podium.

Grandmaster Quest runners in Vietnam still have two more events this year, both of them in the wider Dalat region in the southwest. First, Lam Dong Trail 85 in early November and then Prenn Trail Summit in early December.

Two weeks after finishing the ATM Final at Mu Cang Chai, Thuy Bee also completed VJM 70 and in so doing completed the first level of her Grandmaster Quest.