Nguyễn Tiến Hùng celebrates winning the Việt Nam’s biggest mountain race, Việt Nam Mountain Marathon. — Photo VMM

HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese runner Nguyễn Tiến Hùng won Việt Nam’s biggest mountain race, the Việt Nam Mountain Marathon (VMM), in Sa Pa in the northern mountainous province of Lào Cai yesterday.

Hùng 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 100km races.

Second and third place went to Nguyễn Sĩ Hiếu and Nguyễn Đức Quang, respectively.

At the finish line, Hùng said: “The course was even more beautiful than last year,” as he enjoyed a beer while holding the Vietnamese flag.

Meanwhile, Charmaine 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 took first place while Đỗ Nhơn Trọng and Trần Thế Anh from Việt Nam came in second and third.

In the women's 70km, Jcy Ho from China’s Hong Kong came the first in 70km in a total time of 10:37.48. Vietnamese Nguyễn Thị Đường was in second place.

Runners reach to the finish line of Việt Nam Mountain Marathon. — Photo VMM

The 100km race started at 9pm on Friday. Participants ran through the night with head torches and night markings showing them the way through the high mountains.

Organised by Topas Group, this year was the hardest edition yet, on a new mountain with views of Fansipan, the highest peak in the region.

“After sunrise our runners faced a stunning but gruelling route, climbing up to almost 2,300m in a relentless uphill section. Everybody who has finished this race can truly be proud of what they have achieved - the course was already tough, but this year has been on another level,” said Topas Group’s director of sport, David Lloyd.

“Over the course of this weekend, around 4,000 people run these mountains and in the process raise money. To date, our races have given around US$250,000 to good causes including Newborns Việt Nam and Operation Smile,” he added.

The event attracted some 4,000 runners from 46 nations, racing distances ranging from 10km to 100km in the seventh edition of the VMM. — VNS