Tran Duy Quang at the finish line (Source: Facebook of the Vietnam Mountain Marathon ) Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Tran Duy Quang, a Vietnamese national, won the100km race at the fifth edition of the Vietnam Mountain Marathon (VMM).
The marathon, which concluded in Sa Pa on September 24, is one of the biggestultra-running events in Asia and a landmark event on the Southeast Asiacalendar.
Quang beat rivals from all over the world, by running through the long, darknight over the highest peaks of Vietnam, to take the lead with a time of13:17.35. Manolita Divina from the Philippines finished second, and the thirdplace went to Matthew Johnston of the United States.
On the women’s side, Kim Matthews of Australia triumphed with a time of17:52.23, followed by Hoa Banh of Australia and Nguyen Thi Duong of Vietnam.
“The weather was great for the race. I really enjoyed running through theterraced fields and Mong villages. Running in Sa Pa is always a great pleasure.My result has improved as compared to last year, and I reached my goal of 100kmin less than 15 hours. This is also the first VMM edition I ran for, to supportthe NGO, Newborns Vietnam, with the hope that more people support their amazingwork,” said Quang.
Matthews, winner of the women’s 100km, said “It’s the best race I’ve run, withthe best volunteers, the best route, the best marking and the best scenery, andI loved it!”
The marathon, which concluded in Sa Pa on September 24, is one of the biggestultra-running events in Asia and a landmark event on the Southeast Asiacalendar.
Quang beat rivals from all over the world, by running through the long, darknight over the highest peaks of Vietnam, to take the lead with a time of13:17.35. Manolita Divina from the Philippines finished second, and the thirdplace went to Matthew Johnston of the United States.
On the women’s side, Kim Matthews of Australia triumphed with a time of17:52.23, followed by Hoa Banh of Australia and Nguyen Thi Duong of Vietnam.
“The weather was great for the race. I really enjoyed running through theterraced fields and Mong villages. Running in Sa Pa is always a great pleasure.My result has improved as compared to last year, and I reached my goal of 100kmin less than 15 hours. This is also the first VMM edition I ran for, to supportthe NGO, Newborns Vietnam, with the hope that more people support their amazingwork,” said Quang.
Matthews, winner of the women’s 100km, said “It’s the best race I’ve run, withthe best volunteers, the best route, the best marking and the best scenery, andI loved it!”
[Vietnam Mꦓountain Marathon attracts 2,200 runners]
In the men’s 70km race, Graham Knight of Great Britain took the lead with atime of 9:03.22. Nguyen Quang of Vietnam and Julien Petit of France were therunners-up.On the women’s side, Nadia Koucha of France ranked first with a time of10:32.33. Christine Loh Woon Chze of Malaysia and Catherine Wilson of GreatBritain finished second and third, respectively.
“The event’s 70km category was really the hardest race I’ve ever run but I’m soglad I took part in it. Watching the sunrise over Fansipan was such anincredible experience, and the scenery is spectacular. I chose to run forNewborns Vietnam to raise awareness about the amazing work they are doing toimprove medical care for premature babies in Vietnam. I’d encourage everyone tofind out more about them and support their work,” said Knight.
In the 42km race, Boyoung Jang of the Republic of Korea triumphed in thewomen’s category, after clocking a time of 4:15.02, while Jisub Kim from thesame country took the lead with a time of 2:10.26 in the men’s category.
Ban Thi May of Vietnam defeated some 350 rivals to win the women’s 10km race,with a time of 1:04:57, followed by her teammates Hoang Thi Tham and Moc ThuyLinh.
In the men’s event, Junwei Ng of Singapore beat some 300 participants, with atime of 52 minutes and 35 seconds. Vietnamese Le Van Tuan Anh and Giang A Sungwere the runners-up.
This year, the tournament saw the participation of 2,500 runners from 50nations. Well-known runners also competed in the race, including BritishAmbassador to Vietnam Giles Lever, TV host Thuy Dung, actress Vu Thi Hoang Myand Miss Universe Vietnam 2017 judge Nguyen Huong Giang.
“We started this race five years ago because of our love for the mountains, soit is now fantastic to see 2,500 people from all over the world enjoying thebeautiful landscapes of the north and sharing our passion for the area,” saidDavid Lloyd, race director. “It was also excellent to see so many Vietnameserunners taking podium spots.”
“We look forward to our next trail race, the Vietnam Jungle Marathon in Pu LuongNature Reserve in Thanh Hoa province, next year,” Lloyd said.
The race has a strong charitable focus and thousands of dollars have beendonated to good causes since 2013. This year, over 35,000 USD was dividedbetween local projects around Sapa and Newborns Vietnam, which works to ensurehealthy outcomes for newborn babies.-VNA
VNA
