The marathon, which
concluded in Sa Pa on September 24, is one of the biggest ultra-running events
in Asia and a landmark event on the Southeast Asia calendar.
Quang beat rivals from all over the world, by running through the long, dark
night over the highest peaks of Vietnam, to take the lead with a time of
13:17.35. Manolita Divina from the Philippines finished second, and the third
place went to Matthew Johnston of the United States.
On the women’s side, Kim Matthews of Australia triumphed with a time of
17:52.23, followed by Hoa Banh of Australia and Nguyen Thi Duong of Vietnam.
"The weather was great for the race. I really enjoyed running through the
terraced 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 100km
in less than 15 hours. This is also the first VMM edition I ran for, to support
the NGO, Newborns Vietnam, with the hope that more people support their amazing
work,” said Quang.
Matthews, winner of the women’s 100km, said "It’s the best race I’ve run, with
the best volunteers, the best route, the best marking and the best scenery, and
I loved it!”
In the men’s 70km race,
Graham Knight of Great Britain took the lead with a time of 9:03.22. Nguyen
Quang of Vietnam and Julien Petit of France were the runners-up.
On the women’s side, Nadia Koucha of France ranked first with a time of
10:32.33. Christine Loh Woon Chze of Malaysia and Catherine Wilson of Great
Britain finished second and third, respectively.
"The event’s 70km category was really the hardest race I’ve ever run but I’m so
glad I took part in it. Watching the sunrise over Fansipan was such an
incredible experience, and the scenery is spectacular. I chose to run for
Newborns Vietnam to raise awareness about the amazing work they are doing to
improve medical care for premature babies in Vietnam. I’d encourage everyone to
find out more about them and support their work,” said Knight.
In the 42km race, Boyoung Jang of the Republic of Korea triumphed in the
women’s category, after clocking a time of 4:15.02, while Jisub Kim from the
same 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 Thuy
Linh.
In the men’s event, Junwei Ng of Singapore beat some 300 participants, with a
time of 52 minutes and 35 seconds. Vietnamese Le Van Tuan Anh and Giang A Sung
were the runners-up.
This year, the tournament saw the participation of 2,500 runners from 50
nations. Well-known runners also competed in the race, including British
Ambassador to Vietnam Giles Lever, TV host Thuy Dung, actress Vu Thi Hoang My
and Miss Universe Vietnam 2017 judge Nguyen Huong Giang.
"We started this race five years ago because of our love for the mountains, so
it is now fantastic to see 2,500 people from all over the world enjoying the
beautiful landscapes of the north and sharing our passion for the area,” said
David Lloyd, race director. "It was also excellent to see so many Vietnamese
runners taking podium spots.”
"We look forward to our next trail race, the Vietnam Jungle Marathon in Pu
Luong Nature Reserve in Thanh Hoa province, next year,” Lloyd said.
The race has a strong charitable focus and thousands of dollars have been
donated to good causes since 2013. This year, over 35,000 USD was divided
between local projects around Sapa and Newborns Vietnam, which works to ensure
healthy outcomes for newborn babies.
Source: VOV
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