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A runner competes at the Vietnam Jungle Marathon over the weekend.
(Photo courtesy of organising board)
The winner of the men’s 70km event was Romain Berion of France who finished in a
total time of 7:34.32, seeing a new VJM 70km record.
“The weather was cooler and the landscape was amazing. Thank you the organiser
for this amazing race. I will be back for Vietnam Mountain Marathon in
November,” said Berion, who is a new face in the local trail running community.
The female ultra-marathon also saw a new face as Nguyen Thuy Dung of Vietnam won
with a time of 9:36.41.
“I am very happy to win for the first time in a trail race. We were all very
lucky today because the weather was so beautiful,” said Dung.
Nguyen Thi Duong and Hien Tran of the Czech Republic were the runners-up
with times of 10:16.24 and 10:44.29, respectively.
Also in women’s ultra field, Nathalie Cochet of France came first in 55km with a
time of 8:12.48. Cochet’s compatriot Constance Louasse and Le Tham Thuy Hang
finished second and third.
In the men’s 55km, Singapore-based Vietnamese runner Trung Nguyen took first
place. His time was 6:43.56, breaking the course record.
“The race is always very special to me. The VJM was my very first trail race
which has built my love for trail running. I am very happy that I did break the
record this year. It is thanks to the second place Paul Rioux who ran together
and pushed me to the finish line,” Trung said.
The second and third places of this category belonged to Paul Rioux from France
and Vu Tien Viet Dung of Vietnam.
In the men’s 42km, Quang Tran beat elite runner Pham Tien San to be the winner
after clocking a time of 3:37:56. Quang also broke the course record of VJM.
“In the first 25km, I had to try all my best to chase Sản. He ran uphill very
fast, leaving me behind. After that, I got the advantages at some very technical
trails to overcome San. He just ran trails but will definitely be the one to
watch," said Quang.
“The race has provided a welcome tourism boost to an area that has seen tourism
numbers fall dramatically this year. Some of the homestay owners we have spoken
to have had almost no guests for months, so bringing people back to Pu Luong
Nature Reserve in the central province of Thanh Hoa and helping to re-invigorate
the tourism economy was an important aspect of the event,” said David Lloyd,
founder of VJM and director of sport at Topas Travel.
“Furthermore, we added 13,815 USD to the total we have raised for charity which
now stands at close to 300,000 USD. In the past three years, the race has funded
life-changing surgery for children through Operation Smile and drowning
prevention programmes through Hue Help. This year the funds will be focused on
education projects in the local area,” Lloyd added.
The race is organised by Topas Travel, part of the Topas Explorer Group, owner
of the Vietnam Trail Series which also includes Vietnam Mountain Marathon and
Vietnam Trail Marathon.
The next race, Vietnam Mountain Marathon, will take place on the November 20.
Registration for the event is still open and runners can choose distances from
10km up to 100km.
Source: VNA
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