Trail race entry tiers: Early Bird to Late, explained

Trail race entry fees in Vietnam almost always rise in steps: the earlier you register, the less you pay, and the closer you get to race day, the more it costs. The usual order is Super Early Bird → Early Bird → Regular → Late, sometimes followed by Super Late, and the last tier can cost twice as much as the first. This guide explains each tier, what changes besides the price, and how to time your registration so you don't overpay.

Quick summary

• Super Early Bird / Early Bird: the cheapest tiers, opening months ahead. Best when your calendar is settled.
• Regular (Standard): the reference price, usually the longest window.
• Late / Super Late: the most expensive, in the last weeks before registration closes.
• In the three 2026–2027 price lists we checked, the last tier costs 1.5 to 2.2 times the first one.
• Refunds are rare. What you usually get instead is a bib transfer or a distance change, both with fees and deadlines, often about 30 days before the race.
• Every upcoming price rise is listed on our Deadlines page, updated daily.

What are trail race price tiers?

A price tier is a window of time during which the organiser sells entries at a fixed price for each distance. When the window ends, the price jumps to the next tier. The names vary a little from race to race, but the order is almost always the same:

Not every race uses all five. Some run only three tiers (Early Bird, Regular, Late), others go up to six. In mid-October 2026, our Deadlines page showed different races switching at the same time from "Super Early Bird → Early Bird", "Early Bird → Regular", "Early Bird → Late" and "Late → Super Late".

How much do prices rise from tier to tier?

Numbers speak louder than words. These are the published price lists on the iRace ticketing pages of three races in our directory, using one mid-length distance for each (USD values are rough conversions):

Three things stand out:

1. Prices climb in steps, not in one jump. The Yên Tử 42 km entry goes through six tiers: 699, 799, 939, 1,119, 1,329 and finally 1,539 thousand dong, each step adding VND 100,000 to 210,000. Missing one deadline is no big deal; missing three really hurts.
2. Longer distances rise by more money. At Măng Đen LaLa, moving from Super Early Bird to Early Bird adds VND 300,000 to the 5 km entry but VND 600,000 to the 50 km (15-hour cut-off) entry.
3. Tiers are not the same length. Măng Đen LaLa's Super Early Bird lasts only three weeks (11 October to 31 October), while its Early Bird runs for almost three months (1 November to 20 January). The cheapest tier is often the shortest.

One more thing: the "From" price shown on a race page is the cheapest distance at the current tier. Your distance may cost a lot more.

Besides the price, what changes between tiers?

What really changes over time is the set of rules attached to your entry, and they matter as much as the price.

Refunds: rare, and shrinking over time

• Ultra Trail Cao Bằng 2026 states plainly that once registration succeeds there is no refund for any reason, including when the race is postponed or cancelled for reasons outside the organiser's control.
• Sơn Trà City Trail and Măng Đen LaLa Trail do not allow deferral to the next season. The only exception is pregnancy or an accident backed by a medical certificate, in which case you can hand your place to someone else for free, at least 30 days before race day.
• Vietnam Trail Series (VMM, VTM) is the rare case with a refund scale: tell them 90 days or more before the race and you get everything back minus a VND 1,250,000 (~USD 50) fee; between 90 and 30 days you get 50%; under 30 days, nothing.

In short: the earlier you buy, the cheaper it is, but the longer you carry the risk. That is the real cost of an Early Bird entry.

Bib transfers: fees and deadlines

• Yên Tử 2026: one free change before 1 September 2026, then VND 150,000 (~USD 6) per change.
• Sơn Trà 2026: VND 200,000 (~USD 8), deadline 23:59 on 30 November 2026.
• Măng Đen LaLa 2027: VND 300,000 (~USD 12) per request.
• Ultra Trail Cao Bằng 2026: free, by changing the email on the ticket, with the portal closing 30 days before the race (the ticket page contradicts itself elsewhere, so confirm with the organiser).
• Vietnam Trail Series: the general conditions say free, until 30 days before race day.

A near-universal rule: about 30 days before the race, every door closes.

Distance changes: pay to move up, lose to move down

• Upgrading: you pay a change fee plus the price difference. At Yên Tử the difference is calculated on the new distance's price at the current tier, so buying a cheap 21 km entry early and upgrading to the 42 km during Late saves you nothing.
• Downgrading: neither Yên Tử nor Vietnam Trail Series refunds the difference.

Sold out: when tiers stop mattering

Popular races can sell out before the Late tier ever starts. In mid-October 2026, the Vietnam Jungle Marathon page showed "Sold out" a few days before the race. At that point, the only way in is to find someone transferring a bib.

Which tier should you buy?

There is no single right answer, but three situations come up again and again:

• It's your goal race and your dates are fixed: buy at Super Early Bird or Early Bird. You save a few hundred thousand to over a million dong, and you get a reason to train.
• You want to race but aren't sure you'll get time off, or you're nursing an injury: wait for Regular. You pay a little more for better information, and there is still time to transfer if plans change.
• You decide late: accept the Late price, or look for a bib on our bib transfer board. For a sold-out race, that is the only route left.

Plan your season in 15 minutes

1. List the two or three races you want to run. Open each one in the trail race directory and check the "From" price and the next price rise in the quick-info box.
2. Open the Deadlines page: races about to raise prices, about to close and still open are sorted by date. You can also add the race calendar to your phone.
3. Set a reminder 3 to 5 days before each deadline, not on the day itself. Payment gateways sometimes fail on the very last evening.
4. Bring friends: some races offer group discounts, for example 8% for groups of 15 or more at Yên Tử 2026.
5. Read the transfer and refund rules before you pay, especially for an entry bought six months ahead.

Bought an entry and can't run?

Don't let the bib go to waste. Work through it in this order:

1. Re-read the rules: fee, deadline and method (changing the email on the ticket, emailing the organiser, or at the counter).
2. Find a taker: post a free listing on our bib transfer page and people looking for a bib will contact you. Chạy Địa Hình never holds money and is not an intermediary; you agree on the price between yourselves.
3. Transfer through the organiser's official channel. Never let someone run on a bib in your name: if something goes wrong on the mountain, the organiser needs the right name and medical details.
4. Do it early: before the 30-day cut-off, not in the last week.

When the organiser itself postpones a race, the outcome depends on the race. For example, Lamdong Trail 2025 was postponed after a storm and bibs moved to 2026.

Want to pay even less (running groups, discount codes, deadline tracking)? See How to get cheaper trail race entries.

Common mistakes

• Reading the "From" price and assuming your distance costs the same. It's the price of the shortest distance.
• Buying Super Early Bird for a race you're not sure about, then losing everything because the transfer deadline has passed.
• Booking a short distance to "hold a spot" and planning to upgrade later: the difference is usually charged at the current price.
• Forgetting the extra fees: data changes, shirt size changes, or a separate fee for foreign runners at border-area races.
• Informal transfers outside the organiser's system.

New to trail running and choosing a first race? Read what trail running is and how to pick your first race.

Frequently asked questions

What is Early Bird pricing?

Early Bird is a discounted price for runners who register early, opening when registration starts or right after Super Early Bird. When it ends, the price moves up to Regular or Late.

Can I get a refund on a trail race entry?

Usually not. Most of the rules we read only allow a transfer or a distance change; Vietnam Trail Series is the exception, with a full refund (minus a fee) or 50% depending on when you tell them.

How much does a bib transfer cost?

Between zero and VND 300,000 (~USD 12) for the races in this guide, depending on the race and the timing. The deadline is usually about 30 days before race day.

Sources: price lists and rules on iRace for Yên Tử Heritage Marathon 2026, Sơn Trà City Trail 2026 and Măng Đen LaLa Trail 2027; Race Jungle, Ultra Trail Cao Bằng 2026; Vietnam Trail Series general conditions; the Chạy Địa Hình Deadlines page. Updated October 2026.