Shelith Nyawira Muriuki - champion of VnExpress Marathon Quy Nhon 2023 - ran alongside the top Vietnamese male runners to encourage the female spirit.
"I gave it my all, to the point where my legs were exhausted when I reached the finish line. I wanted to do this to motivate female runners in Vietnam. I wanted to tell them that they can do it. Even though I didn't see the second runner in the 42km women's race behind me, I still gave my all to race with the male athletes in the hope that it would inspire the female runners behind me to break away," Shelith said after the finish line.
As expected, Shelith won the women's full marathon at VnExpress Marathon Sparkling Quy Nhon 2023. She achieved a time of 2 hours 47 minutes 41 seconds, far surpassing the runner-up Le Thi Lam (3 hours 07 minutes 30 seconds). Calculating the total achievements of both men and women, Shelith ranked sixth and was the only female runner in the top 10.
Shelith has no rivals in the women's 42km event at VnExpress Marathon Sparkling Quy Nhon 2023. Photo: VM
Since the start, Shelith has always been close to the top male runners such as Pham Ngoc Phan, Le Van Tuan... and only fell behind in the final kilometers. Although she could not break the national record for women's marathon in Vietnam (2 hours 45 minutes) as her goal before the race, the Kenyan runner was satisfied with her performance.
"The race deserves high marks for its organization. But this is not an easy race for athletes. The hot weather, high humidity and steep roads challenged me. I did not put too much emphasis on breaking the marathon record in Vietnam. This victory was a beautiful memory of my first time in Vietnam," Shelith said.
The 1984-born runner said she will fly to Thailand on June 12 before returning to Kenya. In addition to being a professional runner, Shelith is renting an apartment about 20 km from the center of Kenya's capital Nairobi. Next weekend, she will participate in the next race, but only at a distance of 10 km due to needing time to recover after the VnExpress Marathon Sparkling Quy Nhon 2023.
Shelith races with the top runners in the men's 42km race. Photo: Quynh Tran
Shelith thanked the audience and the tournament organizers for giving her the opportunity, and the many emotions she felt during her first visit to Vietnam. She had shared her desire to connect with the Vietnamese runner community during the exchange with the host athletes before the tournament. After finishing, Shelith was noticed by many Vietnamese runners and running fans, who asked to take photos with her. She said she had participated in many tournaments in Thailand and Malaysia but had rarely been so sought after.
"This is a sign that the Vietnamese running community is on the rise and has many opportunities to expand further. In the future, more African athletes like me will come here, helping Vietnamese running races become more professional and creating a bridge with international ones," she shared.
Shelith is the second foreign champion of VnExpress Marathon. Earlier this year, her compatriot Ezekiel Kemboi Omullo won the men's 42km at VM Ho Chi Minh City Midnight 2023 in 2 hours 30 minutes 03 seconds. Shelith's achievement also set a new record in the women's full marathon category in the system.
Quynh Chi
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