Nguyen Van Lai wants to win runner Kenya by the end of this year

- How are your feelings before the MetaSports Marathon Imperial Hue 2023 - the first tournament you attended the full marathon (FM) in the MetaSports Marathon system - how?

- I have competed in many competitions, but this race in Hue on April 16 is only my second time competing in FM distance (42.195km), after the national championship in Lai Chau on March 26, and the first time with a distance. this in the MetaSports Marathon system. There was a little nervousness, a bit of anxiety, not knowing how I competed. Moreover, this time I brought my whole family to Hue. My oldest grandchild, who is eight years old this year, will also run the Kun Marathon for the first time. Perhaps part of my anxiety comes from having to fulfill my responsibility as a father to help my grandson do well on the test.

- So how do you prepare for the first time playing FM at MetaSports Marathon Imperial Hue 2023?

- After participating in the national championship and winning the silver medal in the marathon with a record of 2 hours 37 minutes, I spent a week recovering and training the next week. This week is competition week, so I adjust the intensity of exercise to suit my condition.

- How is preparing for the FM test different from your forte 5,000m or 10,000m or 21km that you have tried a number of times?

- It's a lot of difference. Running FM is still quite new to me. But I have the advantage of being able to learn directly from my friends and teammates in the Vietnamese athletics team. Currently, I also practice at the team's headquarters in Nghe An. Tomorrow, I will go to Hanoi and then to Hue. Like I said, I'm still quite surprised and nervous before attending the VnExpres Marathon Imperial Hue this week. Therefore, I choose to follow the guidance of my predecessors, even though the new things I learn are also through theory. People say that to run well you need to rely on experience. With each tournament, things get better.

- How do you predict your results in Hue in the near future?

- The running track of VnExpres Marathon Imperial Hue is beautiful, relatively suitable for long runs. But I do not dare to say in advance my achievements because I do not know how the weather will be. If the temperature is between 20-22 degrees Celsius, I believe it can reach about 2 hours 32 or 33 minutes. If the temperature is even lower, the performance will be even better.

- Having competed against foreign athletes many times, what is your goal when running with Kenyan runner Victor Chepkwony in Hue?

- I have followed and know information about two Kenyan athletes, one attends the MetaSports Marathon Ho Chi Minh City Midnight 2023, the other attends the upcoming MetaSports Marathon Imperial Hue. They are all at a higher level than the Vietnamese runners, so the opportunities to interact with them are really precious. But on this occasion, I personally have not prepared the best, so I have not set a goal to follow or compete with them. Hopefully by the end of the year, there will be more Kenyan athletes participating in other MetaSports Marathon tournaments. Then, if the training goes well, the weather is favorable and the opponent is just right, I can consider beating them.

- How do you evaluate the appearance of African runners in the recent MetaSports Marathon system?

- The fact that African athletes participate in movement running tournaments in Vietnam opens up great learning opportunities for domestic runners. Even though I have played abroad many times, because of limited foreign languages, I have not had the opportunity to interact and exchange experiences with them. The running movement in Vietnam has also only developed in the last five to seven years, is still quite young and needs more learning. If possible, I hope to have the opportunity to interact with Kenyan athletes when participating in the MetaSports Marathon.

- He said he would take his eldest son to the Kun Marathon in Hue. What do you think about the significance of the event ahead of these MetaSports Marathons?

- Children's races like the Kun Marathon are not really new. Many countries around the world have organized it, but in Vietnam, only MetaSports Marathon is available. I feel like there should be more running races like this. Although the audience is only children and doesn't place a lot of weight on achievements, this is still a playground for them to exercise and nurture their love of sports in general and running in particular. Only in this way will we create the motivation and foundation for the development of the running movement.

- As a Southeast Asian athletics legend, he will not be present when the 32nd SEA Games kicks off in Cambodia next month. How are your feelings?

- I'm really sorry. I have always dreamed of running a marathon at the SEA Games. If this Congress takes place at the end of the year, I will try to compete for a spot in this 42.195km content competition. But next month is too early for me. In addition, because the selection of athletes to go to the SEA Games took place on the occasion of the National Gymnastics and Sports Festival, I also had to fulfill my responsibilities with the host unit in the 5,000 and 10,000m content, so I couldn't practice for the marathon. .

My goal for the marathon between now and the end of the year is to do under 2 hours 25 minutes. As planned, I will choose to participate in a tournament with favorable weather at the end of the year and try to carefully prepare all factors to be ready to conquer that milestone.