Elephant 50K is the 56.4km ultra trail at Vietnam Highlands Trail by UTMB 2027 (Lam Vien Square, Vietnam). The race starts on January 9, 2027 at 05:00 AM. It starts in Lam Vien Square and finishes in Clay Tunnel. The time limit is 18 h 30 min.
Hold a steady pace and save energy for every section.
The course climbs 2946m+. With 52m/km of climbing, this is a true mountain course with sustained climbs and descents. By gradient, 43% of the distance is uphill, 39% downhill and 17% flat. The longest climb runs 9.3km at an average 9.3% grade (868m of vertical). The longest descent runs 12.5km at an average 6.1% grade (759m of vertical). The steepest climb averages 38.4% over 0.5km. The steepest descent drops at 53.3% over 0.4km. Flat-equivalent effort: 77.6 FlatKM.
Poles bring little benefit here: only about 9.4km of pole-friendly terrain.
Quad damage risk is moderate (index 34 of 100), with 65% of the load in the first half: 2 descents deserve a plan and a couple of downhill sessions before race day.
On race day, start temperatures have historically ranged from 11°C to 15°C, with around 17°C at the highest point; the chance of precipitation is about 15%. Heavy rain of 10.0mm or more falls on about 2% of days around this date.
This page has a pacing and nutrition planner, a gradient matrix, an interactive elevation profile and historical weather for Elephant 50K.
Other distances of Vietnam Highlands Trail by UTMB 2027Langbiang 100K (102km)·Pinhatt 20K (24.1km)·Tuyen Lam 10K (11.3km)
Official websitevietnamhighlands.utmb.world
