PHÚ QUỐC — Vietnamese athlete Đỗ Ngân Sơn won the Phú Quốc International Marathon last Saturday.

Outpacing the entire international field, Sơn conquered the island race in three hours 51 minutes and 29 seconds to claim the title. “Today I felt free, ran with my heart, enjoyed nature and the people around me,” Sơn said. “I controlled my strength and pushed hard to maintain my first place after the first half of the race.”

Even the heat wasn’t enough to stop the champion from setting an impressive time.

“The hot weather made me fight harder,” Sơn said.The second place in the men’s event went to Yohan Duflors of France.

The third place went to Guido Joerg of Germany.

In the women’s race, Constance Louasse finished with a time of five hours 41 minutes and 17 seconds. She was closely followed by Nguyễn Thao and Chu Thị Tuyết Nhung of Việt Nam.

The races started and finished at the Long Beach Resort Phú Quốc, situated on the southern half of Phú Quốc Island, with one of the most scenic stretches of beaches in Southeast Asia.

The highly diverse international field featured athletes representing 29 countries. 

Various events were scheduled – the main race of 42km (Full Marathon), the shorter 21km race (Half Marathon), the 10km race and the 5km fun run. The races, which finished inside the resort grounds, welcomed athletes to run straight into the refreshing ocean. — VNS