'Mutant' Nguyen Van Long ran across Vietnam more than 1,800 km in 20 days

Today (April 30), Nguyen Van Long - an athlete known to many as the "mutant" in the Vietnamese running community - set foot in the Independence Palace (HCMC). The 39-year-old runner completed the cross-country challenge from Hanoi to HCMC with a total running distance of more than 1,800km.

After 20 days of starting from Hanoi, Nguyen Van Long reached the finish line at the Independence Palace gate at 10:15 a.m. on April 30. This was the second time this athlete had run across Vietnam. Previously, Nguyen Van Long ran 2,656 km in 34 consecutive days from Quang Ninh to Ca Mau in 2022.

*Nguyen Van Long completed 1800km from Hanoi to Independence Palace after 20 days*

Nguyen Van Long started his second cross-country journey on April 11. He started in Hanoi. Van Long started running at 4:45 am every day. He spent 45 minutes eating breakfast from 8:00 to 8:45 am and then continued running from 9:00 to 11:00 am. His afternoon journey lasted from 2:00 to 5:00 pm.

Nguyen Van Long's travel schedule was shared publicly on social media. The amateur running community regularly followed and gave words of encouragement to the athlete on his meaningful journey.

Every day, Nguyen Van Long runs about 90-100 km. The peak is the Quang Tri - Phu Loc (Hue) stretch on the 7th day with a total distance of 110 km. However, there are also days when this runner cannot reach the 90 km distance, that is when he moves from Kon Tum to Chu Prong (70 km) on the 12th day.

Nguyen Van Long arrived at the gate of the Independence Palace at 10:15 on April 30.

“After 20 days, there were times when Long was scared. The sudden change in weather in one day affected his health. It forced Long to be ready to face the challenge at all times. Long only needed a moment of distraction to not be physically strong and his spirit would be affected,” the 39-year-old runner - who used to be a professional athlete before switching to amateur running - shared.

Nguyen Van Long said that on the race, he did not say anything and also asked his companions to keep quiet. This was to maintain the highest concentration.

There were times when Van Long thought he would have to give up, but his will and 20 years of running experience helped him complete his goal, such as the incident in Nghe An when he suffered heat stroke due to the sudden change in weather between day and night.

"Long was forced to accept stopping 1 hour early to ensure his health. That incident also partly affected Long's psychology during the remaining journey.

Long was forced to change his plan to be able to achieve the set journey. He ran and checked his recovery ability. Arriving at the station in Hue before climbing Hai Van Pass, Long calculated the plan to be able to return before April 30 or not.

From this plan, Long tried every day, changed the departure time and set goals," Nguyen Van Long recounted.

After many days of continuous running, the "freak" of the running world was exhausted near the end of the race. However, thanks to the encouragement of his companions and his own determination, he completed the final leg from Trang Bom (Dong Nai) to Independence Palace (Ho Chi Minh City) on schedule.

“The relay time on the last two days was also longer. Long lost strength and had to crawl through each stage. On the 19th day, Long had to crawl, but on the 20th day, Long ran a distance that was unimaginable for humans. Long ran with all his motivation and support from everyone and luckily he achieved his goal of reaching the Independence Palace before 12 o'clock,” the 39-year-old athlete shared.

Not only is it a journey to challenge himself, Van Long also spreads many meaningful things through his journey. He donated all the gifts sponsored during the challenge to the Warm Clothes for Children fund, to help poor, orphaned, and sick children in Gia Lai province where he was born and raised.

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