Sunday 20 / September / 2026
Muscat: Omani ultra-trail runner Yaqoub bin Khalfan Al Nadabi has added another notable achievement to his endurance career after completing the gruelling 100-kilometre Vietnam Mountain Marathon (VMM) in Sapa on Saturday, becoming the first Omani to finish the event’s 100km distance.
Al Nadabi battled through heavy rain, treacherous mud, slippery trails and rugged mountain terrain to complete the approximately 100.9km course, which featured a cumulative elevation gain of nearly 5,500 metres.
He crossed the finish line at Topas Ecolodge with the Sultanate’s flag, marking a landmark achievement for Omani endurance sport.
The 13th edition of the VMM, held in the mountainous Sapa region of northern Vietnam, attracted nearly 5,500 runners from 54 countries and territories across its various distances. The 100km race alone featured more than 700 competitors, putting Al Nadabi among a highly competitive international field. The marathon is globally recognised as a premier stop on the prestigious World Trail Majors circuit.
Starting from Sapa Square on Saturday morning, Al Nadabi faced a course made particularly demanding by persistent rainfall in the days before the race. The wet weather turned sections of the route into thick mud and made the steep, technical mountain trails extremely slippery.
Yet the Omani runner maintained his composure and endurance through a course that wound through mountain villages, deep valleys, agricultural terraces and natural trails. The demanding combination of steep climbs, difficult footing and high humidity tested the field throughout the race.
For Al Nadabi, the historic finish represents another significant step in an ultra and mountain trail-running career built through competition at challenging events in Oman and abroad.
He has previously taken part in international marathons and endurance races in France, Thailand and Turkiye, in addition to numerous domestic events.
That experience proved valuable as he negotiated the demanding VMM course and overcame the severe conditions to reach the finish.
His achievement also comes at a time when Omani participation in ultra-trail running is steadily gaining international visibility.
More runners from the Sultanate are taking on demanding long-distance mountain races abroad, gaining experience on some of the world’s most challenging courses.
One such example came just weeks earlier in Chamonix, France, where fellow Omani trail runner Yaqoub Al Waily completed the 107.8km CCC (Courmayeur-Champex-Chamonix) race, part of the prestigious HOKA UTMB Mont-Blanc World Series Finals.
Al Waily finished in 25 hours, 55 minutes and 12 seconds after tackling around 6,198 metres of cumulative elevation gain across the Alps.
Together, the performances of Al Nadabi and Al Waily reflect the growing appetite among Omani endurance athletes for international ultra-trail challenges and the emergence of a stronger national presence in the discipline.
With the Hajar Mountains providing a natural arena for the sport and the Oman by UTMB further strengthening the country’s connection with the global trail-running community, Omani runners are increasingly making their mark on the international ultra-trail scene.
Al Nadabi’s demanding finish in Sapa is another step in that journey — one that carries the Omani flag farther across the world’s mountain trails. (With inputs from ONA)
