Le Tan Hi hopes to win the championship when he returns at MetaSports Marathon Ha Long

Coming to MetaSports Marathon Amazing Ha Long on the first day of the event, Le Tan Hi took advantage of walking around the expo area, chatting with many runners across the country. This is the first time Le Tan Hi has returned to MetaSports Marathon after more than a year of absence. The last time the runner from Lam Dong appeared on the VM racetrack was in Nha Trang, August 2022.

"This time I returned with no other goal than wanting to compete with top athletes. MetaSports Marathon has developed a lot and attracted many good runners both at home and abroad," Le Tan Hi shared.

Last year, the runner born in 1991 was highly appreciated and a bright candidate for the championship. However, the results were not satisfactory. Tan Hi finished 4th overall, after Do Quoc Luat, Le Van Tuan and Nguyen Dang Khoa. Tan Hi's achievement is 2 hours 56 minutes. Talking about the tournament results, Tan Hi said that the hot weather was a big obstacle because he mainly practiced in the cool climate of Da Lat.

"Last year I struggled quite a bit, but this year hopefully will be different," the 32-year-old runner shared and commented that MetaSports Marathon Amazing Ha Long 2023 has many changes to support runners. The first is the increase in the number of water stations, health stations, and toilets. On average, less than 2km, the runner will encounter a water station. With high-performance runners like Tan Hi, he has his own water table, using bottles instead of cups. The running track is almost completely locked with a security fence. Weather is also a factor that Lam Dong athletics staff appreciate. Contrary to the sweltering heat of July, this year's tournament is cooler, with rain forecast.

Having a forte of slopes, VM Hue 2022 runner-up thinks that Bai Chay bridge with a continuous slope of kilometers long is an advantage for him to compete for high rankings. In addition to Bai Chay bridge, Tan Hi and the 42km runners also crossed two other bridges, Bai Tho and Tuan Chau. "I set myself a goal of less than 2 hours and 40 minutes. If it's hot, the achievement may be lower, but the hope is still around this level," Le Tan Hi said.

Despite setting high goals, runner Lam Dong believes that winning the tournament is quite difficult because the level of competition is very high. In 2023 MetaSports Marathon continuously witnessed foreign champions. At VM Ha Long, African runners are not present, but there are names from the domestic running village. Le Van Tuan and Pham Ngoc Phan are names that Tan Hi put on the list to be wary of if they have to face off at the tournament on September 10. Not to mention, mysterious and unexpected factors appearing like the case of Hiroki Nakajima at VM Nha Trang can also create unexpected results.

When asked why he was absent for a long time at MetaSports Marathon events, the 32-year-old runner said he was busy with many personal projects plus participating in some trail races. Before reappearing at VM Ha Long, he warmed up with two half marathons.

Le Tan Hi is one of the special runners in the running village. He is small, weighs only 40kg, less than 1.5 meters tall. However, the runner born in 1991 is always a candidate in every tournament he participates in. Le Tan Hi once shared that he ran without tactics, always trying to move forward. Small body makes him confident, elegant and faster.

As a son of the mountains and forests of the Central Highlands, his forte is best promoted when participating in ultra trail tournaments with many large and small championships across the country. On the road, Tan Hi's name is also associated with the nickname "champion of punctured shoes", when he won many races with shoes with worn heels and punctured toes. The current runner's best achievement is 2 hours and 33 minutes at the marathon in Japan.

After VM Ha Long, Le Tan Hi will participate in two more tournaments in the next two weeks. September 17 is a full marathon, September 23 is an 85km ultra trail race. "The schedule is tight, but I don't feel tired because the desire to conquer the track has never stopped," he said.