Tien Hung wins Vietnam's biggest mountain race in Sa Pa
Vietnamese runner Nguyen Tien Hung won Vietnam's biggest mountain race - Vietnam Mountain Marathon (VNM) 2019 - the seventh of its kind, in Sa Pa town, the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai.
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Hung finished the men's 100km ultra marathon in a time of 14:33.45. He broke his own record from the previous year (14:45.44) and became the first runner to win two consecutive VMM races.
The second and third places went to Nguyen Si Hieu and Nguyen Duc Quang, respectively.
Meanwhile, Chaimaime Thompson of Australia won the women's 100km in a time of 19:18.23, followed by Coline Drain-Martin of France and Tian Qi Ong of Malaysia.
In the men's 70km, Mads Louring from Denmark too the first place, while Do Nhon Trong and Tran The Anh from Vietnam came in second and third.
In the women's 70km, Joy Ho from China's Hong Kong came first in a total time of 10:37.48. Vietnamese Nguyen Thi Duong was in second place.
The annual event was co-hosted by the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Topas Travel Company under the auspices of the Danish Embassy in Vietnam.
It attracted over 4,000 athletes from 46 countries and territories who competed in 10km, 15km, 21km, 42km, 70km and 100km races along Hoang Lien Son mountain, which is considered to have the most challenging course in Vietnam.
Prominent among the participating athletes is Italian marathoner Francesca Canepa, champion of the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc Europe in 2018 and defending champion of the VMM 2018.
At the closing ceremony, the organising board presented proceeds to Operation Smile, New Borns Vietnam charity organisations and poverty reduction programmes in Lao Cai.
Held for the first time in 2013, the VMM has become one of the biggest terrain marathon events in Asia, contributing to charity activities and attracting foreign visitors to Lao Cai.
