It remains one of the gems on the Asian and Asia Trail Master race calendar: Mongolia Sunrise to Sunset is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2018, an accomplishment that few - if any - trail running organisations can claim! The classic 100k and 42k races are held in a very remote area that requires some travel time, but all participants over the years argue it is well worth the effort and time. Once more, MS2S is a points race in the Asia Trail Master Championship series as well. Race Day is 1 August 2018, and subject to the overall number of starting runners being above or below 100, the male and female winners of the 100k race will score 500 (400 performance points +100 finisher points) or 400 (300+100) points for the ATM championship. The elevation gain for the 100k is 3360 hm and you have 18 hours to complete the distance. In other words, it is really from sunrise to sunset and you do need to keep moving during the race.
Mongolia Sunrise 2 Sunset is also non-profit as it helps the local Mongolian communities in the Hovsgol National Park preserve their environment and livelihood.
As the event philosophy explains: the park has two small Mongolian towns as well as scores of local nomadic groups and families, and therefore any conservation efforts must go hand in hand with these local users of the park. The event therefore aims to contribute as much as possible to the local economy and to raise awareness among locals that standards of living can best be raised by preserving the park and the local culture. We have tried to achieve this by engaging the local community in the event. This ranges from hiring help to setting the course to hiring local doctors supervise aid stations. We are also actively encouraging locals to participate in the race. In setting the course, we have sought to minimize the impact on the natural environment and we use bio-degradable green paint to mark the course.
Registration is open and travel packages from Ulanbaatar are available via the official website. For the key details you can also take a look at our event cover page and the video trailer below.
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