An unexpected incident occurred when Vanh Long, born in 2003, was running at the 19th kilometer on Pham Van Dong coastal road. He was alone in the lead with no one close behind. On the livestream, commentators and viewers were surprised when he began to swerve instead of running in a straight line. He even turned around and ran backward for a few meters.

Commentators and many viewers initially thought the runner from Lam Dong believed he was lost. However, the Nha Trang race course is a straight path along the Tran Phu - Pham Van Dong coastal axis, only turning back at the 28th kilometer on Luong Son Pass. Therefore, the champion's unusual behavior puzzled many.

Vong Vanh Long running on Luong Son Pass. *Photo: VnExpress Marathon*

After crossing the finish line, the 23-year-old runner explained that his decision was to wait for his rivals behind him "to run together for fun". This was Vanh Long's first time competing in the 42 km distance at the VnExpress Marathon. The young runner expected many athletes to contend for the championship, so feeling "lonely" from the start surprised him.

"My initial plan was to run in a pack and then sprint in the final stretch. But perhaps everyone had their own pace and goals, so I ended up running alone", the champion stated.

Running alone on the race course is not uncommon at VnExpress Marathon events. In previous races, athletes like Huynh Anh Khoi and Edwin Kiptoo often experienced this feeling by themselves. For Long, the excitement truly began when he turned around and saw a stream of runners coming in the opposite direction. At this point, the young runner clapped, laughed, and even cheered on those behind him. His energy delighted many spectators.

In addition to turning back, Long also raised questions with another unusual action. At the 7th kilometer, he decided to take off his watch and asked a nearby biker to hold it for him. This is rare among elite runners competing for the championship. Typically, metrics like VO2 Max, heart rate, pace, and distance are crucial parameters for runners to determine their race strategy. Taking off his watch meant the runner reverted to the purest form of running: relying on personal feel.

Vong Vanh Long suddenly runs backward while in the lead.

Explaining this decision, Long simply stated it was because his wrist felt itchy. About 500 meters from the finish line, he retrieved his watch from the biker and tucked it into his waistband before finishing with a time of 2 hours 39 minutes, 8 minutes ahead of second-place finisher Le Thanh Tai.

The new champion expressed happiness with the result, as he had not set an overly high goal initially. Before race day, Long even considered running only 21 km because he had bibs for both distances. This was also only his third time running 42 km; his previous two attempts resulted in a DNF (Did Not Finish). Therefore, becoming the champion made the result even more surprising and impressive.

He shared that his previous two unsuccessful attempts taught him valuable lessons about pacing. In this race, Vanh Long maintained a pace of 3:45-3:50 for about 30 km to listen to his body. For the final 12 km, he increased his pace to 3:40-3:45. He found the Luong Son Pass section quite challenging due to its steep incline, requiring continuous hydration, gels, and salt.

"In reality, I only trained about 70 km per week because my goal was 21 km. This volume is very low compared to other elite runners. So, I think this championship is a stroke of luck and also a motivation for the future", Vong Vanh Long remarked.

Following his championship win, Vanh Long stated he would continue to participate in VnExpress Marathon events later this year.

The VnExpress Marathon Nha Trang began on the morning of 9/8, marking the fifth season the race has come to the coastal city. This year, the event hosted 10,000 runners. Athletes conquered the coastal routes of Tran Phu - Pham Van Dong and climbed Luong Son Pass. The race left a significant impression due to its vibrant and colorful athletic atmosphere.

Hoai Phuong