The 'old men' ran 21km at the MetaSports Marathon Hue

Present at Ngo Mon Square from 7:00 a.m. on April 14, Mr. Phuong Trinh (Da Nang) said he was very excited to receive a bag of items for two 8-year-old children participating in the Kun Marathon (starting on Saturday, 15/02). 4). Because at 12 o'clock on the same day, the organizers issued Bib for the adult prize (race early in the morning of April 16), instead of waiting, Mr. Trinh called a cyclo to walk around Hue city, then returned to receive his race-kit.

At the age of 72, Mr. Tu called himself "an old man with tendons", not afraid of the distance of 21 km. In the past two months, he and a group of close friends often invite each other to run every morning around the Han River and My Khe beach, increasing the distance from 10km to 21km. At this Hue tournament, he hopes to reach the finish line three hours early.

Many years ago, the original runner from Da Nang competed in 42 km and trail running in Lam Dong. Although he did not achieve high results, Mr. Trinh was still proud of being able to surpass his own limits and set an example for his children and grandchildren.

In addition to Mr. Trinh, Mr. Pham Quoc Luong (70 years old) also registered for a distance of 21km - similar to the MetaSports Marathon Ho Chi Minh City Midnight and is expected to keep the achievement under two hours.

"For many years, I often register for the 42km category, but because of a hip injury, almost a year ago, I had to lower the distance to 21 km," Mr. Quoc Luong revealed. At the tournament in Nha Trang, at the distance of 21km, he did not win the second prize of the age group over 60 years old, with a record of 1 hour 56 minutes. In the night race in Ho Chi Minh City two months ago, he also conquered this route with a time of about 2 hours and 5 minutes. "I am very surprised and happy to break my own record."

Mr. Quoc Luong has been in love with the marathon for about 5 years and has joined the Phu My Hung running association for nearly two years now. The group has nearly 100 members, inviting each other to participate in Hue tournament about 35 people. Instead of improvising, he and his group of friends were carefully trained, from learning how to breathe, kicking and landing techniques to the frequency of running every day (at least 10km) or every week (60-70 km). ..

Runner U70 has been a vegetarian for nearly 20 years, maintaining a regular sleep and healthy lifestyle, so his endurance is better than many young or middle-aged people. Mr. Quoc Luong advised athletes before running to warm up, when reaching the finish line, they need to stretch their muscles to avoid injury.

"Running is very good for health. I often encourage my children and grandchildren to exercise and do endurance training every day. Next year, I will return to the 42km race and hope to inspire many young people to call on them. Marathon or practice any suitable sport," added Mr. Quoc Luong.

Receiving Bib on April 15, Mr. Nguyen Do Hung (70 years old, living in Hanoi) also participated in the 21km distance. In last year's run, he challenged 42km and entered the top 3 of the U60 age group, so this year he was given a ticket, not actively reducing the distance. "For the past three years, I have been running the MetaSports Marathon in Hue, Quy Nhon, Hanoi... The organization and logistics are really the best in Vietnam," said the runner born in 1953, laughing.

Talking about the predestined relationship with running, Mr. Hung said four years ago his health was weak because of his job sitting in one place often. After reading the newspaper and seeing the benefits of running, he practiced getting used to it. From a gentle walk in the park, in 2018 he participated in the running race for the first time.

"Outside people call him grandpa and uncle, but on the track, they call him 'brother', 'old brother'. Many people also admire endurance, actively talk, so I have more friends after each race." Mr. Hung said. Currently, every month he practices running on average 250km, the exercises are followed the instructions. Along with running, the runner's health is better, the spirit is also much happier.

Also at a distance of 21km, Mr. Huynh Tan and his son came to receive Bib in the early morning of April 15. Runner was born in 1954, often runs at the park near his house, but the distance is short (5-10km). This is his first time trying at the 21km race, he aims to complete it in 2 hours 20 minutes. "Running gives me a lot of health. I will run until my legs are completely exhausted," he said and showed off the Bib he had just received.

Representatives of the organizers of MetaSports Marathon Hue said that about 200-300 "old men" U70 registered for distances of 10, 21, even 42km. Most of them are used to long runs and continuous training intensity, so they believe that they can complete the challenge, not afraid of hot weather or obstacles on the way.

In the third year of organization, MetaSports Marathon Imperial Hue 2023 brings together more than 10,500 athletes, double the number of two previous seasons. In which, a total of 42km and 21km have 6,300 registered people.

Unlike the previous season, the organizers put the 42km starting time up early, at 3am on April 16. The remaining distances include 21, 10 and 5km, respectively, starting at 4:00, 5:00 and 5:30, respectively. The athletes gathered in the area of ​​Le Duan Street, the intersection with Nguyen Trai, ran through many ancient inner city roads, lined with green trees before reaching the finish line on To Huu Street.