Bach Ma is not a discovery tourism destination well-known in Vietnam but at present, it also becomes an attractive choice for athletes whose passions are long-distance running with rugged terrain.
Although the running trail in Bach Ma National Park is full of slopes, it always carries a poetic beauty with picturesque natural landscapes
Slopped but poetic
Recently, hundreds of athletes from many places all over the country came to Bach Ma National Park to run and compete in a marathon held to call for the conversation of wild animals and plants.
3:00 in the morning, when the dew was still looming under the lights at the foot of Bach Ma Mountain, the athletes chatted and enjoyed the fresh air, as well as shared for each other their running experiences and noted the beautiful running routes that they ought to stop to contemplate and take photos of the scenes.
Except for some professional running athletes, the majority of other runners participating in this marathon were from many different professions. However, they were the same in passion, which was running and the desire to conquer the beautiful scenes and mountains.
With a total of three distances, the distance of 33km conquering the trail running through primeval mountains of Bach Ma National Park might be the harshest one, but carrying the most beautiful sceneries about the superb forests and mountains.
The marathon which has been held for the first time in Bach Ma brought many novel emotions for participants.
Two female runners taking advantages to take photos at a trail leading to the top of Bach Ma Mountain
To join this marathon, many athletes living far away such as those coming from Ho Chi Minh City or Ha Noi had to arrange their work and plan for the event for months in advance.
“Although I’ve heard so much about Bach Ma, this is the first time I set my foot on this famous national park. In addition to the goal of conquering the running trail, this is also an opportunity for me to contemplate and learn more about nature, mountains and forests,” a young runner coming from Ha Noi shared excitedly.
In each distance, the organizing committee provided attractive information, as well as the notes to help the runners discover the sites on the go.
Huynh Anh Thuan from Hue city, who has a nearly ten-year “experience” of running, shared in excitement that he was not only excited to get the chance to run at the hometown’s famous mountain but was also touched by the meaningful message of the marathon. “In this marathon, I’m so happy to contribute and join hands to call for the conservation and protection of wild plants and animals,” shared Thuan.
Similar to Thuan, other runners also recommended: “During the running time, do not take anything except the beautiful photos, do not leave behind anything except your footprints”.
Dream of larger scale marathons
The distance of 33km started earliest, around 6:00 a.m. According to many athletes, with the sloped and rugged terrain, this running trail was equivalent to the full marathon distance (42km) running in the even and flat terrain.
However, in this route, the athletes would not only run but also got the chance to enjoy the uniqueness when they ran through the picturesque primeval forests, crossing Five Lakes and the waterfall, then conquering Hai Vong Dai (Ocean Observatory) - the famous landscapes belonging to Bach Ma National Park.
Furthermore, in each moment and space, the concrete tracks along the way to the top left many emotions for the athletes, such as when they ran in the dew, or ran in a fanciful scenery when the sun rises from the direction of Cau Hai, etc.
Although many runners tried to maintain their performances, standing before those beautiful sceneries, they could not dominate themselves but stop and catch the emotional moments endured by nature by their phones. The sound of birds, or the beauty of flowers looming along the trail and cliffs, etc., seemed like giving strength for runners.
“The running route going through Bach Ma National Park is a beautiful and unmistakable route,” shared Nguyen Minh Tuan, the first athlete finishing the distance of 33km.
The athletes coming from Da Nang shared that even though he has conquered many different running routes and terrains across the country with many harsher distances, this was the first time he participated in running in Bach Ma. According to Mr. Tuan, although the distance in Bach Ma marathon was shorter, the slope was higher, so it created the excitement in the process of conquering.
“Joining this marathon, in addition to the gorgeous unspoiled scenery, the weather and climate here are also satisfying to inspire runners,” said Mr. Tuan.
He added that he was also extremely impressed when running through the Five Lakes section, where the natural landscape captivated people. With such advantages, Bach Ma National Park has great potential to organize marathons. Not only stopping with the 33km running route, it can be extended to 70km, 100km, or even longer. This is also an opportunity to promote the images and famous tourist destinations.
Also being a runner participating in the marathon, after reaching the finish line, Mr. Nguyen Vu Linh – Director of Bach Ma National Park enlisted for “polling” other athletes right at the foot of the mountain in the hope that those suggestions will be acquired to make good the shortcomings in next marathons.
Even though this is the first time that the marathon has been held and Bach Ma National Park is a coordination unit, the successes were witnessed. “After this marathon, we will consult experts to open new and longer running route to help athletes have more choices and reach more interesting experiences. Along with that, we will research more closely to related services, including accommodation services, in order to meet a large number of runners, from 2.000 to 3.000 participants,” Mr. Linh expressed his hope.
Story and photos: Phan Thanh
