PE teacher hits sub 2:45 on first marathon

Truong Van Quan (35 years old) was a pleasant surprise at Hanoi Midnight 2023 when he finished in 5th place in his first marathon, reaching a time of 2 hours 41 minutes 25 seconds.

Truong Van Quan (bib 91059) stepped onto the starting line of the VnExpress Marathon Hanoi Midnight Ioniq 5 Cup at 00:30 on November 26. The unknown runner stood behind the famous elites (top runners) at the front. The hustle and bustle at Hoan Kiem Lake at midnight also signaled a fierce race for the 42km group.

Except for Nguyen Van Lai who had a solo performance to win the championship, behind him, the competition for the top 5 rankings was very tense. Because this was also the group with the opportunity to receive the attractive final prize. After the first 10km, the top chasing athletes were full of famous faces such as Quoc Anh, Truong Van Tam, Le Tan Hi, Duc Tho, Huu Hanh, Dinh An. Among them, the appearance of the strange name Truong Van Quan aroused curiosity.

Truong Van Quan joined the speed race right from the first kilometers. He was not shy or tentative but proactively pushed his speed up instinctively. He reached the 3km mark in 10 minutes 11 seconds; 11km in 40 minutes 20 seconds; 30km in 1 hour 49 minutes 1 second. From the time he reached Vinh Tuy bridge until km 35, Truong Van Quan maintained his speed and maintained second place, just behind champion Nguyen Van Lai.

Truong Van Quan runs with the cycling team at VM Hanoi Midnight 2023. Photo: VM

On the live broadcast of the race on November 26, witnessing the new face leading the group chasing Nguyen Van Lai, the commentator continuously said "If anyone knows about this athlete, please comment below".

If he had kept his speed, Van Quan could have become the runner-up of VM Hanoi Midnight 2023. However, due to lack of experience, when he was 7km from the finish line, he lost strength, slowed down and let the elite behind him pass. As a result, Van Quan finished 5th after Nguyen Van Lai, Quoc Anh, Truong Van Tam and Pham Duc Tho. His result was 2 hours 41 minutes 25 seconds.

Truong Van Quan is a physical education teacher at a primary school in Thai Nguyen. Talking about his first full marathon, he said he was very nervous. However, when he entered the race, he quickly caught up with the high-achieving group. The more he ran, the more enthusiastic he became. When he reached Vinh Tuy bridge, he felt excited to compete with famous names, so he decided to increase his speed.

Also because of the excitement, he got cramps in the last few kilometers. The pain forced this runner to slow down, losing the second place. "At that time, I thought that if older runners could run 42km, I could do it too. I encouraged myself not to walk or stop. Anyway, this is a big lesson for me," the runner from Thai Nguyen shared.

This achievement is enough to make Truong Van Quan the most impressive rookie of 2023, putting him in the group of 50 fastest full marathon runners in Vietnam. Many veteran and famous runners and the domestic marathon community praised this debut. Van Quan himself did not believe the number displayed on the results board. "I never thought I would compete for the rankings because I was quite nervous. I was really happy even though I had no strength left at the finish line," the male runner said.

Van Quan ran on Long Bien bridge. — Van Quan runs on Long Bien bridge. Photo: VM

His impressive stats are not only a matter of luck but also the result of a long accumulation process. He started running in 2009 when he was a physical education student. The 35-year-old runner ran every day and considered it a joy, while also exercising and maintaining his fitness. Two years later, a ligament injury prevented him from continuing to run. It was not until 2015, after surgery, that Van Quan continued to maintain this habit.

Runner Thai Nguyen said that at first, he ran instinctively, without a training plan, running 5km every day. He almost did not know the concept of a marathon and only participated in some small cross-country races, 5 or 10km in the locality. In 2018, a friend invited him to join the Long Bien Marathon, a distance of 21km. That was the first time Van Quan knew about an event with thousands of people, wearing a chiptime and running in a frenzied atmosphere. That year, runner Thai Nguyen showed his special qualities when he completed the race in 1 hour 37 minutes, ranking 11th overall.

Truong Van Quan could have made a breakthrough 5 years ago. However, he said that conditions at that time did not allow him to pursue marathons. Many years later, the name Truong Van Quan did not appear in any marathons. The physical education teacher chose to stick with teaching and considered running as a companion to maintain energy and health.

In 2020, when the marathon movement developed more, Thai Nguyen Runners was born. The runner born in 1988 joined the club to find teammates to practice with. At this time, his exercises began to be organized, with a more thorough training plan. Every day, he practiced from 4:30 to 6:30. On weekends, he did long runs. On average, he accumulated 70 - 100km per week. But he admitted that he did not have enough confidence and conditions to participate in a major tournament. It was not until 2022 that he participated in another half marathon and a few 5 - 10km distance races.

Over the past two years, as the marathon movement exploded, Truong Van Quan was inspired by the running examples and the record number of athletes in marathon races. He decided to try the most difficult distance at VM Hanoi Midnight 2023 after being suggested and encouraged by club members. "I wanted to interact more and meet sports lovers across the country, so I decided to join without thinking there would be a prize," he said.

Before the tournament, the club organized two training sessions with similar times to the competition day. In addition, Van Quan practiced more on his own to accumulate experience and ask for more experience from those who had participated.

Winning 5th place in a tournament with a series of famous runners was beyond Van Quan's expectations, but this is the motivation for this runner to be more confident in future tournaments. He focuses on recovery, continues to accumulate with the hope of improving his performance at VnExpress Marathon Hai Phong taking place 3 weeks later.

"I received many comments and compliments after my recent achievements, but I still feel small. I don't dare to think about winning any tournament, I just want to try to get better every day," Truong Van Quan shared.

Hoai Phuong

VnExpress Marathon Hanoi Midnight 2023 Ioniq 5 Cup is a race with a scale of 11,000 athletes, held on November 26. The race is chosen by top athletes because of the beautiful running route, favorable weather and professional organization. Up to 50 athletes achieved sub3 (marathon under 3 hours) in this tournament.