In a moment of madness I signed up for a half marathon, an extreme excuse for a fascninating trip to Laos, writes Carolynne Dear
Monks wait for alms in Luang Prabang (image courtesy Unsplash)
Seduced by a trip to a country I had never been to before and the promise of some great restaurants, interesting night markets and a massage, the year before the world collapsed in the face of Covid, I signed up for the Luang Prabang Half Marathon. I'd managed the Angkor Wat International Half Marathon the year before and figured I probably had enough puff for one more trip around the track.
The Luang Prabang Half Marathon is well-known throughout Asia and popular with Hong Kong and Singapore running groups. It first ran in 2014 and raises badly needed funds for Laotian children. The slogan for the race is 'strengthen your heart while keeping theirs beating' and monies are donated to Lao Friends Hospital for Children, the only free children's hospital in Laos. It skipped a couple of years for the pandemic in 2020 but was back on course in 2022. This year it celebrates its tenth anniversary.
After months of drawing up training schedules, discussing training schedules and occasionally actually getting out and actioning a training schedule, a group of us – all friends from Hong Kong but now living across Asia and Australia – met at Chek Lap Kok one October morning, each nervously clutching a pair of running shoes.
First stop was Bangkok. When we flew there were no direct flights at all (these days there is one direct flight from Hong Kong to Luang Prabang with Hong Kong Airlines). The options offered by Cathay Pacific were with changes in Hanoi or the Thai capital. We opted for Bangkok and spent a night carb-loading and pretending not to drink alcohol (one beer couldn’t hurt, surely?) at the Hotel Novotel Suvarnabhumi Airport.
The next morning we were up bright and early and sipping lattes at the breakfast bar. Too late now to regret not going on that final training run.
We jumped onto a two-hour Bangkok Airways flight to the Laotian capital. It was a rocky prop plane but it afforded us gorgeous views as it jetted over the hills of northern Thailand.
Walking across the baking apron to the airport terminal in the midday heat, I did wonder what I’d signed up for, but as we arrived at our boutique hotel, all fears temporarily evaporated at the site of a sparkling pool, landscaped gardens and a fabulous French colonial-inspired guest room.
The half marathon route takes runners through the town and along the Nam Khan river (image courtesy Unsplash)
Luang Prabang is variously described in the guidebooks as “languid and lovely”, “a unique place where time seems to stands still” and “a Unesco-protected gem that has gained mythical status”. It turned out to be all of those things and more.
Our gorgeous hotel, the Apsara Rive Droite, was located on the banks of the fast-flowing Nam Khan – Luang Prabang is at the sacred confluence of the Nam Khan and the mighty Mekong River.
The quickest way into town turned out to be on a tiny little motor-powered boat that spluttered against the current until it reached the opposite bank. It was quite a feat crawling in and out of the tiny vessel (particularly when you’ve just run 21kms), but it was also a lot of fun, and only broke down once during our visit.
The run itself is a relatively tiny event, organised by local volunteers, both Laotian and expat. There were just 17 participants registered in my category, five in another, which meant that some of us were guaranteed a podium position before we’d even started – not something we could say about most other running events we’d attended.
There are three run distance options, as the course cleverly weaves through the town in seven kilometre loops. Some of our group ran just one loop, some did 14km, but I had committed to the full 21km. We began at 6am after a cool and cloudy night, so conditions weren’t as hot as I had been fearing.
The course took us past crowds of cheering school children, bar owners proffering trays of drinks, beautiful old buildings and the swirling waters of the Nam Khan. It was hugely enjoyable with a really local vibe. It felt as if the whole town had turned out for the event, with middle-aged expat ladies frantically re-directing rickshaws and shop owners touting their wares on the roadside. There were gentle inclines and downward slopes to break the monotony and all in all it was a pleasure to run.
A couple of hours later we crawled back onto our river boat and were met on the other side by our cheery hotel manager. A beautiful al fresco breakfast table had been laid out for us overlooking the pool, with warm Laotian omelettes, baskets of French pastries, and yummy homemade papaya jam.
Later that morning and after a short snooze, the hotel arranged a car to take us up to the dramatic, menthol-coloured waterfalls of Tat Kuang Si.
Stunning temples are dotted around the town (image courtesy Unsplash)
We enjoyed lunch back in town at the Victoria Hotel overlooking the Mekong River and then it was time for our well deserved massages at Dhammada Spa.
That evening we staggered back across the Nam Khan for a delicious “mod Lao” dinner at chic eatery Tamarind and a wander around the Handicraft Night Market. When you’ve been used to haggling cut-throat discounts on Hong Kong's Temple Street, the Laotian stallholders positively laid-back in comparison – I had to patiently explain to one young girl that she had given me too much change.
But it’s a very gentle, sleepy town overall. Life ambles its way calmly along the dusty streets, the food was fabulous (and amazing value) and the locals very friendly. And the town’s Indochinese architecture is entirely deserving of its UNESCO World Heritage status.
There was just time on our final morning to quietly watch the monks taking alms at sunrise and then we were back on a flight to Bangkok.
Luang Prabang is one of those unusual places that lives up to expectations and to all that is written about it in guides and brochures. I might have been cursing having to change flights initially, but part of me hopes this stunning town stays off the well-beaten tourist trail a while longer. It is absolutely charming and I shall definitely be back – possibly without my running shoes next time, though.
The Luang Prabang Half Marathon celebrates its tenth anniversary this year and takes place on October 26 with funds raised going to Lao Friends Hospital for Children. Register now online.
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