First Vietnamese runner finishes 246 km ultramarathon race

By Xuan Diu September 29, 2019 | 07:39 am PT

Tran Duy Quang (in blue shirt) holds up the Vietnamese flag after finishing the Spartathlon ultramarathon race in Sparta, Greece, September 28, 2019. Photo acquired by VnExpress.

Tran Duy Quang became the first ever Vietnamese runner to complete the annual ultramarathon race, Spartathlon, in Greece Saturday. He finished in 40th position.

Quang, the only Vietnamese among the 376 participants in the Spartathlon, covered 246.8 kilometers to reach the city-state of Sparta in 31 hours, 10 minutes and 37 seconds after starting from Athens. He was one of 196 athletes to finish the race.

"When I crossed the finish line, I felt like I was coming back to life. I am proud that Vietnam will be known by the international community through this Spartathlon race," Quang told VnExpress.

Quang started running in 2014, starting with a few rounds around the local park every day as a way to relieve stress from work. The 30-year-old athlete gradually fell in love with running and became one of Vietnam’s best runners, finishing first in the Vietnam Mountain Marathon 2017.

Spartathlon is one of the toughest ultramarathon races in the world, requiring runners to run non-stop for two days throughout Greece, starting from Athens to Sparta.

The race’s champion this year was Hungarian athlete Tamas Bodis, finishing the race at 26 hours, 29 minutes and 24 seconds.