More →]]> This third stage with 58k will be the second longest one of the race. It will be also one of the toughest. It will come after two tough running days: when starting this stage we will have already 100k and 5000m elevation “in the legs”. It will be a “mountain stage” with a majority of the track over 1000m high, a total of 3000m elevation, and a masterpiece Doi Chiang Dao.

After passing many small villages of different tribes (Akha , Lisu , Karen) and running through rice fields, bamboo forests and pine trees, we will arrive at Pakhia. This is a Hmong village at the foothill of Doi Chiang Dao. This mountain has a summit at 2225m and is the only alpine mountain range in Thailand. Because of its characteristic shape and its range of steep mountains, it is called the “tooth of Himalaya”. The track from south to north will go through the tooth and will be one of the nicest part of the week. It willl look like a mix between a French Alps mountain and a tropical forest.

We will cross the North by reaching a moutain pass at 1600m high and go down to Na Lao Mai, a Lisu village. After a magnificent run through the jungle and a series of rocks which would delight lovers of boulder climbing, we will engage in a beautiful mountain valley. Surrounded everywhere by mountain summits (Doi Nang, 1818m, also known as ” The Sleeping Lady mountain “; Doi Mae Khong, 1420m; Doi Khom San Phra (1410m), the village of Ban Nong Khatae seems lost and its people living appart from any civilization.

The last part of our journey will see us going alongside a ridge in beautiful pine forests before going down into the jungle and reach Ban Mae Cha, another Lisu village where we will spend the night.

More →]]> The 4th stage of our journey is probably the wildest one. Less hilly but very wild. It will see us going through jungles and tropical forests for many kilometers without crossing any village. The atmosphere will be magical and sometimes oppressive; progress in some areas might be difficult. I even got lost when I was looking for the track. Hopefully now I have the complete GPS track to help!

Appart from a small way up at the beginning of the day, we will only run down on the first part of this stage. This won’t be a luxury after the mountain stage of yesterday. We will ease our pain and relax our legs bruised by over 150k and 8500m+ of running in 3 days. This will also allow us to take time to enjoy the journey. We will run most of the time alongside rivers. We could enjoy a magical atmosphere among butterflies, banana trees and ubiquitous flora.

We will quickly go through the Karen village of Mae Kon and the Thai village of Pong Ung to immediately plunge into a wild atmosphere. After walking alongside the Mae Ping River (which flows to the south through Chiang Mai), we will turn to the East alongside a small stream to reach back to Ling Luang. The atmosphere will be magical but could be treacherous thanks to the technical parts and the humid jungle. The progress will be very slow and the track sometimes dfficult to find.

The last part of our journey will be very steep and difficult after more than 40k done in a day. We will then begin to enter the beautiful and evergreen mountains of Northern Thailand at the border with Mynamar. After 4k to “climb” a track at almost 15%, we will reach the stop for the night: Pha Daeng, a village created by Chinese Chiang Kai Chek fighters refugees here after being defeated by the Communists.