Female operator runs 100km in 10 hours to raise funds

Hanoi: Participating in the 100km running challenge to raise funds, female operator Nguyen Thi Hai Yen lived her passion for running for a day.

On the evening of December 30, 2023, the Turtle Runners Club (Hanoi) organized the event "Run for Love" in the Hoan Kiem Lake area. About 150 people participated in five distances: 15km, 30km, 50km, 70km and 100km with the motto "run less, donate more". The money raised was transferred to the Children's Smile Fund. At the end of the event, the club raised 104 million VND.

Runner Nguyen Thi Hai Yen on the VnExpress Marathon Hanoi Midnight 2023 track. Photo: VM

Of these, the 100km distance was the most arduous. The 20 runners who registered for this distance were given 10 hours, from 9pm on December 30 to 12pm on December 31. In the end, five people dropped out (DNF), 15 people finished. Ms. Hai Yen was one of them, finishing after 9 hours 59 minutes 17 seconds.

"That night, as soon as my shift ended at 10 p.m., I packed up my things to get to the starting line. When I got there, the event had already started an hour earlier. Luckily, I was still able to attend. That day, I set a goal of finishing in 11 hours and achieved an unexpected result," the runner born in 1984 said.

Currently working as a switchboard operator at Hanoi Electricity Corporation, the rapid switching of phones to take care of customers has trained Ms. Yen to be quick-witted. This helps her to quickly switch from work to running. Including the shift on December 30, she spent 20 consecutive hours working non-stop, but Ms. Yen still maintained her flexibility after the race ended.

With a fixed work schedule, but working in shifts, Ms. Yen has to create a detailed time plan to pursue running. Besides, she also has to fulfill her responsibilities as a woman in a three-generation family, including her mother-in-law, husband and two children. However, according to this female runner, the job of a call center operator also requires the ability to manage time strictly, so she can still fulfill her life responsibilities and make time for running.

"I learned about jogging at the end of 2020. At that time, the movement had already started to boom. I saw a lot of people jogging at West Lake. Then, at the invitation of a friend, I tried jogging at Hoan Kiem Lake. Because this place is near my workplace, I could take advantage of the time to finish jogging and then go to work. That was my first time jogging," she recounted.

At first, Ms. Yen practiced running for fun and health. But from the first time she conquered the 42km distance at Tien Phong Marathon on March 27, 2022 with a time of 5 hours 3 minutes 15 seconds, her performance improved rapidly. Just one month later, at VnExpress Marathon Hue, she set a time of 4 hours 25 minutes and then on October 16, she reached the sub-4 mark with a time of 3 hours 52 minutes 55 seconds at VPBank Hanoi Marathon 2022.

Ms. Yen reached the sub 3h30 marathon mark for the first time at the HaLong Bay Heritage 2023 race. Photo: Halongmarathon — Ms. Yen reached the sub 3h30 marathon mark for the first time at the HaLong Bay Heritage 2023 race. Photo: *Halongmarathon*

In 2023, the operator continued to shorten her marathon record. On November 19, she reached the sub-3h30 mark with a time of 3h27m34 at the HaLong Bay Heritage. Six days later, she set a new PR with a time of 3h27m28 at the VnExpress Marathon Hanoi Midnight. To date, she has completed 14 official full marathons.

In her first 100km fundraising run, Yen considered the right strategy the key to success. "I was ready for the challenge. Because running 100km is not like running 5 or 7km every day. It requires accumulation. Three days before the race, I slept more, ate more, and I determined that the working day would not only last 8 hours but 20 hours. From the start of the shift at 2pm to 9-10am the next morning, I had accumulated energy from three or four days before. Two days before the race, I did not run, just went to work and rested," she shared.

According to Yen, the pressure of being a call center operator also trains her patience and ability to withstand stress, which helps her when she comes to running. Call center operators and long-distance running both require endurance and the ability to control emotions to be successful.

"Patience determines 80% of my success in my work. When customers call, they definitely need to vent and support. There are people who are very hot-tempered, so first of all, we have to be patient. The same goes for running. I often joke with people that long-distance running is not about legs but about perseverance," said the 39-year-old runner.

In 2024, Yen wants to try her hand at two distances: ultra trail and ultra road, both 100km long. As for the marathon, she hopes to improve her performance by at least 10 minutes, and reach the sub-3 mark in the future.

Quang Huy

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