In Quang Tri , Tran Tu Phap “debuted” in the National Marathon and Long Distance Championship of Tien Phong newspaper with an extremely impressive time of 1 hour 14 minutes 56 seconds. This achievement was enough to help the Tay ethnic farmer (Tuyen Quang) win first place in the 40-49 age group. He even ran faster than many young athletes in the selection system, only in their late teens or early twenties.
Tran Tu Phap was “on air” for quite a long time during the National Championship. The reason was because Phap, wearing a red jersey with bib number A80740, holding a water bottle in his hand, ran alone in the lead, standing out the most in the amateur group in the half marathon distance (21.1km). He started 3 minutes behind group “E”, which included athletes from the national and amateur groups with high achievements. Phap was supposed to be qualified to start with this group, but because he was not familiar with it, he missed the opportunity to register.
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| “The people of Quang Tri and the volunteers were very enthusiastic, friendly and approachable. When I reached the finish line, I went into a local’s house to ask for help changing my wet shirt. They even turned on the hot water heater for me to take a shower.” |
The farmer was "born to run"
Tran Tu Phap, born in 1984, is a farmer in Minh Phu village 6, Yen Phu commune (Ham Yen), about 60km from Tuyen Quang city. The story of a farmer who loves running can inspire many people about the beauty of running and the benefits that running has brought to the life of a simple, honest farmer and gardener.
Phap has been running for more than 20 years, but he has only really started running regularly and long distances in the last 2 years. Since 9th grade, Phap has been selected to participate in local cross-country races. Phap has a small body (at one point he weighed only about 40kg) but has a strong physique due to having to work since childhood: plowing, carrying bricks... Each time he competes in a cross-country race, Phap only practices for... 1 week. In the following years, whenever he is called to compete, Phap "crash-study" and practices without any lesson plan.
It was not until 2017 that Tu Phap accidentally learned about the first half marathon held in Ha Giang . It was the first time Phap had traveled so far and run such a long distance. Although there were many top Vietnamese athletes at that time (Le Van Tuan, Pham Thi Hue, Pham Thi Hong Le, Hoang Nguyen Thanh, Trinh Quoc Luong...), Phap did not know anyone. In his first 21km run on the legendary Ma Pi Leng pass in Ha Giang, Phap performed impressively, placing in the Top 10 athletes with the best results.
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| I held the electrolyte water bottle in my hand. Squeezing it made me feel more comfortable when I ran. I only put the water bottle down when there were only 2-3km left. |
Farmer life is interesting thanks to running
Every day, Phap works for garden owners in the commune for about 300,000 VND/day. In addition to working for hire in the garden, Phap takes care of his two young children because his wife works far away, in an industrial park in Vinh Phuc.
Life would have gone on peacefully if the Tay farmer who loves running had not had the chance to meet and interact with Tuyen Quang Runners Club. Here, knowing that Phap had a passion for running but was in difficult circumstances, Mr. Tran Manh Cuong - President of Tuyen Quang Runners Club and many members helped Phap satisfy his passion from experience, knowledge to running equipment. Information about running races, Phap was also regularly updated by the club members.
“I was sponsored by Dr. Ngo Tung Phuong, a member of the club, for high-quality shoes. I only dare to wear these expensive shoes when racing, and when practicing, I run in normal shoes,” Phap confided. Phap usually practices in the afternoon. Occasionally, he asks the garden owner for permission to take a break to go running and then…go back to work. One day, when he has to practice late at night, Phap wears a headlamp and runs.
“For me, athletics is both a passion and a way to train my perseverance to overcome my own limits. In addition to farming, I still spend some time every day jogging to improve my flexibility,” Phap shared.
To date, Tu Phap has participated in one marathon (winning the championship in Ha Giang in early 2025) and dozens of half marathons. The two most memorable races for Phap are the Longbien Marathon 2024 (winning the 21km) and the Tien Phong Marathon in Quang Tri.
Last October, Phap won the championship for the first time in such a big race in Long Bien. “I received the biggest bonus ever, 15 million VND. At that time, I ran with a bicycle and a cameraman following me. It was the same in Quang Tri. I had a volunteer riding a motorbike behind me shouting “give way to the Top amateur athletes” so that I could run smoothly in the crowded group. It was a very exciting feeling,” Phap recalled.
Interestingly, in both of these tournaments, France did not register for the "pen E" to start at the same time as the elite athletes, but his achievements were admired by many elite athletes.
“Standing on the podium” at Tien Phong Marathon - Quang Tri helped the 8X farmer “pocket” a large amount of bonus money. Phap often asked his brothers and sisters in Tuyen Quang Club to help him receive the money into his account, saving it to pay off the bank loan for his house.
“Many people in the countryside wonder, after working hard all day, aren’t you tired from running?” Phap happily said. “After running, I feel like I eat better, sleep better, and have better health. When I have good health, I can work better, and life becomes more meaningful.”
Phap's daily life and farming work have also become more interesting thanks to running, as he sometimes turns on livestream while gardening for many runners from all three regions to chat and interact. Phap hopes to participate in many races and achieve high results, save the prize money for his wife to treat cervical spondylosis, and be closer to home and no longer have to work far away.
Source: https://tienphong.vn/anh-nong-dan-khien-tuyen-quang-no-may-no-mat-o-giai-vdqg-marathon-va-cu-ly-dai-bao-tien-phong-post1731208.tpo
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