"Mutant" Nguyen Van Long today, April 30, ended his 20-day run from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, a distance of more than 1,800 km.
On the morning of April 30, Van Long departed from Dong Nai at 2:30 and completed the last kilometers, arriving at Independence Palace, Ho Chi Minh City at 10:30.
This is the second time he has taken on this challenge for fundraising purposes. When he ran across Vietnam for the first time in 2022, Van Long raised more than 400 million VND and was nicknamed "mutant" by the running community.
Nguyen Van Long and a fellow runner on the cross-country run in April 2024. Photo: Trung Hieu
"There was a time when I was worried that I would not complete the journey. So now I am very happy and excited to have done it. I believe this journey will motivate everyone to run, demonstrating the values of a happy and healthy life of this sport. On the run, I wanted to focus as much as possible so I didn't say anything. Now that I have reached the finish line, I would like to thank everyone, especially the runner community, for their love for me on my recent journey across Vietnam," Van Long said after completing the journey.
Van Long started in Hanoi on April 11 and was supported by the capital's runner community running from Hoan Kiem Lake to the suburbs. The runner born in 1985 then ran 100 km to Ninh Binh on the first day, then another 100 km to Thanh Hoa on the second day.
Van Long's cross-country run this year took place in harsher weather than the first time, when the heat wave spread across the country. However, he was still accompanied by runners from most localities on the 1,840 km route. Van Long called for fundraising for the "Warm Clothes for Children" campaign to help poor and disadvantaged children in his hometown of Gia Lai, and at the same time wanted to inspire the running movement and spread the message of healthy living.
During the first days of the trip, Van Long ran at a pace of 5:20 to 5:30, then he maintained it at 5:40 to 5:50. Only in the last three days did the 39-year-old runner slow down, running at a pace of 6:05 to reach the finish line.
Quynh Chi
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