The transit area for the race opened at 4.30 a.m. to welcome the first athletes. Aquaman Vietnam, the first major aquathlon to be organized in the country, consisted of a swimming segment and a running segment near Tra Co Beach.
Light rain covered the area momentarily before it turned cloudy and cool.
Athletes warm up for the race. In the most challenging category, they have to swim two kilometers and run 21 km.
The Half Aqua category is 1 km of swimming and 10 km of running, while the Sprint category is a 500 m swimming lap and a 5 km run.
Nguyen Ngoc Trien of Hai Phong City completed the first swimming lap of 500 m in 6 minutes in the sea.
Athletes rush out into the sea for the swimming segment. Those swimming 2 km have to complete four laps.
After swimming, athletes returned to the transit area to prepare for the run. Most spent 30-60 seconds here, and some consumed energy gels before leaving.
Do Van Hoang, 22, was the winner of the relay race (competing in groups) thanks to a speed boost in the last 10 kilometers.
“The weather was beautiful. The race course was impressive,” he said.
Vu Dinh Duan, 25, won the individual Aquaman category, surpassing Vo Xuan Vinh in the last 500 m of the race by a few seconds.
Duan had never swum in the sea before, he said. “I took some sips in the beginning, but I gained the advantage of wearing the same suit throughout the race and did not need to spend time changing.”
