Ha Thi Hau: 'Vietnamese runners competing abroad is a trend'

Top 1 female amateur runner Ha Thi Hau wants to put Vietnam on the world trail running map in 2024, and sees competing abroad as a common trend for domestic amateur running.

- Ha Thi Hau ended 2023 with many successes. How do you view what you achieved last year?

- I am satisfied with what I achieved in 2023. However, I have some regrets about my performance at the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc in September - finishing fourth in the female race and 32nd overall in the 101km distance with a time of 12 hours 38 minutes 28 seconds. This is considered the final tournament for trail runners around the world and I was a bit bewildered in my first participation. My coaches and I discussed and learned from experience. We are not comfortable sharing specifics here, but I believe I am fully capable of winning. That will be my top goal in 2024.

Ha Thi Hau holds the Vietnamese flag after finishing fourth in the 101km Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc in September 2023. Photo: Sportograf

- What is the most memorable memory for you in the 10 tournaments you attended in 2023?

- So many memories. But the most memorable was the Doi Inthanon race in Thailand in December, where I won the women's 100km with a time of 12 hours and 9 minutes. The race was incredibly fast. It was unbelievable that if you just stopped for a moment to eat an orange, 50 people would pass you. And I think 50 people is still small. About 20 people would pass you every minute. If you stopped for 5 minutes, when you turned around, you had to pass 100 people. Luckily, I was in the lead for most of the time, so I didn't get into that situation. But there was a section where I stopped to eat an orange, so the second person passed me and I couldn't catch up.

- How do you feel when you carry the Vietnamese flag to the finish line in world-wide tournaments?

- I am very proud and happy. Because no Vietnamese person has ever done this before, including men. I wanted to show everyone watching the livestream that a Vietnamese person won the toughest trail race in Asia, so I carried the flag at the finish line. I didn't want to be mistaken for a Chinese person.

- What is the difference between foreign athletes and Vietnamese athletes?

- Foreign athletes are very professional, sitting with them, I feel like a rookie. In Vietnam now, everyone is quite professional, but going abroad, even though I don't want to compare, I still feel like a lost duck among a flock of peacocks. Foreign athletes are extremely well-groomed, from clothes, food to nutrition. Looking at them, I exude the spirit of an athlete. As for me, from clothes, food... even accommodation is not as good. Foreign athletes are sponsored from A to Z, so they have to run well. And they only focus on running. If they have other things to do, they put them aside to focus on running. Just eat, practice and run. As for me, I still have to work in parallel with competing, so I don't feel as professional as them. Foreign athletes are also open, but not as friendly as Vietnamese people. If they know each other, they will talk. Otherwise, if I approach them and ask to take a photo, they don't like it very much.

- Recently, many Vietnamese athletes have invested in themselves to compete abroad. Do you think this is a temporary phenomenon, or a future trend?

- I think Vietnamese runners competing abroad is a trend. Because now people have better conditions than before, they want to experience newer, more professional environments. Of course, Vietnamese races are more professional now, but foreign races are still better in many ways, from food, accommodation to transportation. Most runners like to change their experiences. For example, if they run the VnExpress Marathon Nha Trang this year, next year they will want to run a new race in Hai Phong. In Vietnam, there are only the same number of races, so it is understandable that they want to go abroad. Not only for experience, but they also seek challenges and gain more experience. Everyone wants to learn lessons after each race. When competing with foreign athletes, you can see that you need to improve in many ways, not just speed.

Ha Thi Hau when she won the women's 100km distance at the Doi Inthanon trail race in Thailand in early December 2023. Photo: NVCC

- Vietnamese running exploded in 2023 and promises to continue in 2024. In your opinion, what is the right direction to raise the level of domestic running races?

- I think the organizers of the races need to listen to the athletes more. Not to listen to everything, but to pay more attention to the wishes of the athletes. Although the running movement in Vietnam is growing, I feel that people are gradually participating in races less. Because in reality, many people participate in races just for fun. So I think the organizers of the races should do something to encourage them. Currently, races are bringing in a lot of revenue. Spending a small amount to invest in athletes, I think, is not worth it.

Second, I think it would be better to reduce the number of tournaments. I mean tournaments that cannot guarantee athletes transportation and accommodation should be canceled, because it is unprofessional. In addition, the issue of food is also a concern. For example, sausages are the enemy of runners, but tournament organizers give athletes a lot of them. I know this may be related to sponsorship issues and athletes are getting free food. But if it were done like other tournaments around the world, it would be more professional. They sell food, not give it away. But they sell it at very cheap prices and it is all healthy and certified. This is an important factor because after the competition, athletes' muscles are very hungry. If you eat bad food, your muscles will eat it. Once or twice is fine, but eating too much is harmful to your health. The same goes for giving athletes soft drinks.

I think tournaments should be better controlled. By eliminating unprofessional tournaments, athletes will focus on the big ones instead of playing three to four tournaments a month, many of which are of poor quality. That way, the chance of finding talent will be higher.

For example, VnExpress Marathon has such a system, so at the end of the year, it can organize a final tournament for athletes with good results. That way, the movement can help find talented athletes, then nurture and develop them. I think in terms of running, Vietnam is not inferior to other countries. Of course, we cannot compare with powerful countries like China. But if we control better, we can find many potential athletes to raise the running movement to the Asian level instead of being domestic as it is now.

While I’m at it, I’d like to share the reason why I chose trail running over road running, even though my marathon results are very good. The reason is that if I run on the road, only Vietnamese people will know me and I won’t be able to go to the Olympics or even compete with Asian athletes. Because Vietnamese running doesn’t have enough foundation to compete in those arenas. But if I run on the trail, I can compete on par with the world’s top athletes. I feel that I have the ability to put Vietnam on the world trail map and everyone will know that Vietnam has such good trail runners.

Ha Thi Hau races alongside Huynh Thai Loc - owner of Binh Duong Runners, in the first kilometers of the VnExpress Marathon Ho Chi Minh City Midnight 2023. Photo: VnExpress Marathon

- What are your competition plans for next year?

- Trail races are still the top priority, but I will definitely participate in a road race, a full marathon, at the end of the year. The plan is that after UTMB in September, I will rest and then create a separate training plan for a full marathon to achieve the best results.

- What is your current weekly workout schedule?

- Currently, I am still recovering from the Doi Inthanon race in Thailand. My biggest goal in 2024 is the CCC race of UTMB. To compete in this race, I have to train more on speed than length and endurance. Currently, I only have endurance. But at the CCC, the athletes' speed is terrifying.

I do three speed runs a week, alternating between tempo and interval. Then I do a long run of about 30 km, but with 15-minute intervals in between. That’s a great way to improve speed. On the weekends, I also do a long run, but it’s just a normal run for endurance, not for speed. I also do a day on the bike. Between the tempo, tempo, interval and long runs, I take a day off for easy running or complete rest.

- Many runners are proud of you and consider you a source of inspiration in training, what do you think about this?

- I am very happy. Because I am new to running but have achieved some success. I am even happier because I am known not only in Vietnam but also in the world. In fact, I think I have more fans abroad than in Vietnam, as shown by the number of followers online.

I think what I have achieved is not only for myself but also for all Vietnamese people and especially single mothers in the world. Because if I can do it, everyone can do it. Just try and practice scientifically. The important thing is to maintain daily practice. That is the key to help me achieve the success I have today.

Hau during a trail running session on the high mountains in Sapa. Photo: NVCC

- In your opinion, what do Vietnamese runners need to do to become more professional?

- I just want to talk about professionalism for those who want to pursue sports seriously. I think in Vietnam at this time, people still practice by learning from each other. Abroad, an athlete has at least three coaches. One of them is in charge of nutrition, will feed you the best food and control your diet so you can practice. One coach specializes in muscle strength training and one coach specializes in running. It must be said that foreign athletes are willing to invest, and they invest very systematically and scientifically. I think that if you want to be successful, you have to invest like them. In terms of sports science, they have all reached an advanced level.

Ha Thi Hau was born in 1989 in Lao Cai. She works as a tour guide and started running in 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic. Ha Thi Hau quickly revealed her natural talent when she won seven consecutive trail races, the most impressive of which was the women's 70 km championship at the Vietnam Trail Marathon 2021 in Moc Chau in her first time competing in this event.

Ha Thi Hau is currently the female amateur athlete with the best full marathon achievement in Vietnam: 2 hours 56 minutes 50 set at VnExpress Ho Chi Minh Midnight 2023. In September 2023, she made a splash when she finished fourth in the women's 101 km distance (CCC: Courmayeur - Champex - Chamonix) at the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) in France. This is considered the world trail championship, gathering top athletes. In December, Ha Thi Hau continued to prove her ability by winning the women's 100 km distance at the Doi Inthanon tournament in Thailand, one of the tournaments in the UTMB system.

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