Vietnam Highlands Trail by UTMB
Vietnam Highlands Trail by UTMB – 50K ELEPHANT
Lam Vien Square
Race guide
Updated 18 July 2026
The 50K ELEPHANT is the mid-distance route at Vietnam Highlands Trail by UTMB, a 56 km loop from Lam Vien Square carrying 2,871 m of climb across the highlands. Run entirely above 1,250 m and topping out at a high point of 1,809 m, it strings together a series of climbs and drops before delivering a sting-in-the-tail ascent to Pinhatt Em late in the race. At 56 km with nearly 2,900 m of vertical, the ELEPHANT sits squarely in ultra territory – long enough and hilly enough to reward patient pacing and good fuelling, but with a course shape that keeps the hardest work for the back third. It is a step up from the 20K PINHATT while sharing the same distinctive highland terrain around Pinhatt Em and Elephant Hill.
The course and terrain
The ELEPHANT is a 56 km loop starting from Lam Vien Square at 1,481 m and finishing at 1,387 m, with 2,871 m of positive climb in between. The route runs through six intermediate points – Goat Trail (9.8 km), Maple Left (17.6 km), Lam Ha Basecamp (24.4 km), Elephant Hill (33.2 km) and Pinhatt Em (45.2 km) – before the run home. Elevations swing across the loop between roughly 1,263 m and the 1,809 m high point, so this is continuously undulating highland trail with no long flat respite. The first half trends gently downward on balance: from the 1,481 m start through Goat Trail (1,515 m), Maple Left (1,393 m) and Lam Ha Basecamp (1,307 m) down to the course low around Elephant Hill (1,263 m) at 33.2 km. That descending profile hides the fact that the climbing is heavily loaded into the second half, which is the key to reading this course correctly.
Where the race is decided: Elephant Hill to Pinhatt Em
The crux of the ELEPHANT is the long climb from Elephant Hill up to Pinhatt Em. Having dropped to the course low near 1,263 m at 33.2 km, the route then grinds back up to 1,666 m at Pinhatt Em by 45.2 km – roughly 400 m of net gain across a 12 km sector, and the stretch that contains the race's high point of 1,809 m. This comes deep into the race, on tired legs, and it is where positions are won and lost. After Pinhatt Em at 45.2 km the course descends to the finish at 1,387 m over the final 11 km. That closing drop of nearly 280 m is runnable if you have managed the day well, but arriving at Pinhatt Em depleted turns the last 11 km into damage control. Race the first half within yourself so you still have the legs to climb strongly to Pinhatt Em and then descend home.
Pacing and fuelling with the cut-offs
The ELEPHANT has two hard time gates: Pinhatt Em at 45.2 km closes at Sat 19:00, and the finish at 56.4 km closes at Sat 23:00. The four-hour window for the final 11 km is comfortable, so your race is really governed by reaching Pinhatt Em before 19:00 – which, given the tough Elephant Hill climb feeding into it, is where you must protect your buffer. Bank time earlier on the descending first half without burning your legs. Aid is reasonably well spaced through the loop. Maple Left (17.6 km) and Lam Ha Basecamp (24.4 km) are both crew points, giving supported access in the middle of the race, and Elephant Hill sits at 33.2 km before the big climb. The longest carries to plan for are the roughly 12 km from Elephant Hill to Pinhatt Em over the decisive ascent, and the final 11 km from Pinhatt Em to the finish. Fuel and hydrate fully at Elephant Hill and again at Pinhatt Em, since both feed into long, committing sections.
Conditions to expect
Like the rest of the Vietnam Highlands Trail programme, the ELEPHANT is a high-country race: start, finish and every checkpoint sit between roughly 1,260 m and 1,810 m, so you spend the entire day in cool highland air rather than the warmer lowlands. Highland weather at this elevation tends to be more variable than the plains below, and the exposed higher ground around the 1,809 m high point can differ markedly from the sheltered valleys. With crew access at Maple Left and Lam Ha Basecamp, you have chances to adjust layers and resupply as conditions change through the day. Prepare for a long day on continuously rolling terrain, plan your nutrition around the two long back-half carries, and treat the Elephant Hill to Pinhatt Em climb as the section that will define your finish time.
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Checkpoints & cut-offs
✓ Course data verified against the official source (2026-07-17) · official source
0 km · 1481 m · —
9.8 km · 1515 m · —
17.6 km · 1393 m · —
24.4 km · 1307 m · —
33.2 km · 1263 m · —
45.2 km · 1666 m · Sat 19:00
56.4 km · 1387 m · Sat 23:00
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