Lao running event the Luang Prabang Half Marathon (LPHM) is set to happen on October 5, 6am, starting in front of the National Museum.

There are 7km, 14km and 21km races and runners don’t pay fees but instead make charitable contributions (from $200 for a guaranteed spot) to international NGO Friends International.

On the charitable aspect of the race, founder of the Luang Prabang Half Marathon Michael Gilmore says, “One of our motivations was to see if we could create a new business model for destination races. If you add up the amount of money that gets spent on the tourism around a destination race, it can be huge, but often only a fraction of that stays in town.”

Check out our full interview with Luang Prabang Half Marathon (LPHM) founder Michael Gilmore.