Office worker wins 21 marathon awards in one year

Nguyen Thi Minh Hien (44 years old) participated in 30 races in 2023, notably winning the VnExpress Marathon Hue amateur championship and reaching the top of her age group in 20 other races.

For Nguyen Thi Minh Hien (Vung Tau), 2023 is a memorable milestone after 4 years of running. At the age of 44, she competed in 30 major and minor races for the first time. On the racetrack, Hien is a formidable opponent for both amateur and professional runners. Last year, this office worker won first place in her age group at the VnExpress Marathon Ho Chi Minh City Midnight, Tien Phong Marathon, VnExpress Marathon Quy Nhon, Nha Trang, and second place overall in a race in Laos.

Notably, at the VnExpress Marathon Hue in April 2023, Minh Hien won the amateur championship with a time of 3 hours and 15 minutes. She finished just behind the barefoot queen Pham Thi Binh, and set a new personal record. Her achievement is among the few female amateur runners in Vietnam approaching the sub 3:15 mark for the full marathon distance.

Minh Hien on the VnExpress Marathon Hue 2023 running track. Photo: VM

Many people think Minh Hien is a runner who used to compete professionally, or at least trained professionally at a club. But no, Hien is working as an office worker. Like many people, her career and family care take up most of Hien's free time during the day. She only has about an hour left to run in the morning. However, Hien still accumulates 60 to 80 km each week. She says that compared to elite runners (seeds competing for rankings), this amount is still small. "To achieve the above achievements, besides discipline and perseverance in training, I also have a bit of recklessness," she says with a smile.

In 2019, Minh Hien got into running through an event launched by the company. Although she had never put on running shoes before, she still performed excellently, and was jokingly nicknamed "speed queen" by her colleagues. After that, Hien continuously broke through her achievements, setting personal records in every tournament she participated in. Less than a month after her first runs, when invited by friends, Minh Hien bought a Bib to compete in the 42km distance of the Techcombank Marathon Ho Chi Minh City 2019.

"At that time, I had never run 21km continuously. My friend said that if I kept running, I would reach the finish line. I didn't think much of it, so at noon the day before, I frantically searched for Bib to be able to run in time the next morning," she recalled. As a result, in her first marathon, the female runner finished after 4 hours and 40 minutes. After her first reckless race, she began to enjoy the sporting atmosphere at the races and became more and more passionate about running at night.

"If I just ran haphazardly without a plan, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to progress, so I decided to start studying training plans and practicing running more seriously," Minh Hien said. She started looking for running training plans and reading videos of international athletes.

At first, when she researched on her own, Hien was quite confused because there were many sources of information. But the more she ran, the more she understood her body. Therefore, through each stage, she adjusted her plan to suit her physical condition.

Female runner wins prize while competing in Laos. Photo: NVCC — Female runner wins prize while competing in Laos. Photo: *NVCC*

From 2019 to now, Minh Hien and her running group of colleagues at Phu My Fertilizer Plant have conquered hundreds of thousands of kilometers in charity races and competed in dozens of official races across the country. "Up to now, running has become a habit, helping me stay healthy, avoid stress, and connect with many friends who share the same passion," Hien said.

Not only conquering the road running track, Hien also practices exploring more terrain routes. In the collection of nearly 30 awards last year, she owns a first prize and a second prize in trail running. Over 44 years old, she still maintains stability in competition and always holds a position in the top leading athletes. Minh Hien said, not only male runners, at any age female runners can progress, can overcome all limits when determined, dare to live with passion.

Entering the new year 2024, Minh Hien continues to be steadfast with this goal. Recently, the female runner has owned a combo of 7 Bibs from the VnExpress Marathon system in 2024. "I want my streak of achievements to be extended even further next year and VnExpress Marathon will be the mark," she shared.

According to Minh Hien, VnExpress Marathon is a prestigious race system, with many big names in the running world participating. Registering for seven races is both to satisfy her passion and to have a basis to strive, practice, and compete with famous runners. The female runner also hopes that the Ho Chi Minh City night race taking place on March 3 will be the "opening shot" for an explosive year.

Hien won prizes in most of the races she participated in. Photo: VM

In addition to Minh Hien, VnExpress Marathon currently records nearly 200 runners registering for this year's combo races. VnExpress Marathon is the largest running race system in Vietnam in terms of total athlete size. In 2023, the unit set foot in eight localities with seven marathon races and one aquathlon race, attracting nearly 75,000 runners to participate.

This year, in addition to opening the portal for each individual tournament, the Organizing Committee also opens registration for combos. Athletes will enjoy incentives when registering for multiple tournaments. The Organizing Committee applies a 5% discount for a package of 2 tournaments; 8% discount for 3 tournaments; 12% discount for 4 tournaments; 15% discount for 5 tournaments; 20% discount for 6 tournaments; and 25% discount for 7 tournaments. Register here to enjoy the benefits and own the entire collection of VnExpress Marathon medals.

Thanh Lan

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