Connecting the running community

Nicknamed "the freak" by runners nationwide for his rare feats on the track, after completing the Da Nang Marathon and Ba Den Marathon in early August, Nguyen Van Long immediately embarked on his third cross-country running journey.

Not "alone" on the run

This is a conquest trip that the 40-year-old runner from Gia Lai wants to take in a year with many important historical milestones of the country.

Initially, he had the idea of running through 3 Indochinese countries but had to cancel the plan for many reasons. A month ago, Nguyen Van Long scheduled a cross-country run instead, departing from Ho Chi Minh City on August 14 and planning to arrive in Hanoi on September 2.

Kết nối cộng đồng chạy bộ - Ảnh 1. — Nguyen Van Long (5th from right) and fellow runners on the Kon Tum - Quang Nam leg

Unlike the two runs from Quang Ninh to Ca Mau with a distance of more than 2,600 km (2022) and from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City with a distance of more than 1,800 km (2024), this year Nguyen Van Long's cross-Vietnam route will cover a distance of 1,636 km from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi in 20 days.

Unlike the previous two times, Nguyen Van Long decided to "go solo", without the help of a logistics team. Planning simple meals, mainly at restaurants along the way, stopping at motels and rest stops that had been contacted and booked in advance, Nguyen Van Long set off with a water vest (a backpack with a vest-like design that fits the body, has many pockets to hold necessary items such as water bottles, energy packs, phones, sirens, raincoats, shoes...) weighing only 3.5 kg, ensuring compactness and mobility to adapt to all situations on the run.

Every day, Long sets off at 4am or a little later, stops to rest and have breakfast at 8am, then continues running until 11am and takes a lunch break. His journey continues until late afternoon, ensuring approximately 10 hours of running each day. "The previous two times, many stages I ended... in the forest and had a logistics team take the motorbike back to the hotel to rest. This time, because I'm traveling alone, I have to calculate the time reasonably, especially the rest stops," Long shared.

Long's footsteps are not alone, because every day, runners from the localities where he starts accompany him on a short journey. Long always puts everyone's safety first. "I run close to the roadside and turn on my lights to ensure the safety of myself and other road users in the early morning. My companions also have to pay attention to keeping themselves absolutely safe" - Long shared.

The day he started in Ho Chi Minh City, the weather was sunny and beautiful, but in the afternoon when he reached Dong Nai province, it rained heavily, forcing him to only complete 77 km. Or like the first 5 days of heavy rain and slippery slopes, the next 5 days, he had to run under the scorching sun.

Long's journey is not simply to challenge himself but also to connect and develop the running community in Vietnam. "Setting off in the joyful atmosphere of the whole country celebrating the National Day, I feel more and more empowered and proud with every step I take" - Long "the freak" shared. In the first ten days, he officially traveled more than 800 km to Quang Nam, Da Nang and was full of hope to complete this meaningful cross-country journey on the important holiday in the historic Ba Dinh.

Community Service

The running movement in Vietnam has exploded in the past 5 years, attracting hundreds of thousands of people of all ages. Along with this development are significant challenges: chaotic race information, increasingly sophisticated scams, and countless barriers that make the runners' experience not truly complete.

A comprehensive ecosystem built "by runners, for runners" is the dream of the passionate duo Le Tai and Huynh Nhu. Le Tai became the pacer to help Huynh Nhu conquer her first 42 km distance. They found the love of their lives and felt a common mission of turning their experiences, passions and personal struggles into something useful to serve the community.

Kết nối cộng đồng chạy bộ - Ảnh 2. — Le Tai and Huynh Nhu on the Hue Marathon track. Photo: FBNV

P2P Community Running Club (with 3,800 members) was established more than 2 years ago with the goal: Run to connect, reach far. P2P's most important and practical contribution is its role as an "information shield", working with the race organizers to authenticate all links and announcements, helping the running community not to "fall into the trap" of fake fanpages.

Seeing small running groups struggling to get enough numbers to qualify for discounts, the Pace8 platform allows teams of 5-10 people to easily register for BIBs and receive the best discounts. With the ability to distribute thousands of BIBs for major races, Pace8 has become one of the strongest community registration channels in Vietnam.

Supporting BIB registration for running groups; making the BIB transfer "market" transparent by promoting the construction of a "trading floor", acting as a safe intermediary, ensuring the rights of both sellers and buyers; optimizing logistics by providing a full "from A to Z" service (organizing a convoy, cooperating with hotels to get good prices, arranging shuttle buses at the running location or about to launch the image search feature using AI technology... is the ecosystem that Le Tai and Huynh Nhu are trying to build.

The couple's perseverance is helping shape a bright future for the Vietnamese running community.