"Superman" of running village

Finishing first in the women's 100km race at Doi Inthanon UTMB 2023 and breaking the dominance of European and Chinese runners at Thailand's biggest trail race recently, Ha Thi Hau is like a new symbol of Vietnamese sports in the international arena.

In September 2023, the image of a small woman holding the Vietnamese flag running to the finish line in Chamonix - France made Vietnamese people feel moved and proud. Ha Thi Hau became the first Southeast Asian runner, both male and female, to finish in the top 10 of the world's largest trail race, Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc 2023. She finished 23 seconds slower than the 3rd place overall and was honored in the top 5 best male and female athletes in the 100 km distance.

From a buffalo boy to a failed gym teacher

Born in Van Ban district, Lao Cai province, Hau's childhood was associated with rolling hills and green grasslands as far as the eye could see. Every day, she cycled 12 km from home to school. After school, she helped her parents with farm work, herding buffalo and cutting grass.

Ha Thi Hau conquers trail running races. Photo: DAT NGUYEN

Although she only herded buffaloes, cut grass, and cycled to school without any special training, Hau achieved many successes in local cross-country races. In 2008, with the hope of becoming a teacher, Hau took the exam to become a physical education teacher at the Ha Tay University of Sports. This girl, born in 1989, had enough points to enter the school, but was only 2 cm short of the height standard, so she had to put aside her dream of becoming a physical education teacher.

After that shock, the sports hobby of the tour guide at a travel agency in Sa Pa was buried by the hustle and bustle of life. Then, the COVID-19 pandemic hit and indirectly changed Hau's life.

During the social distancing period, work was severely affected, Hau was haunted when her body gained 5 kg. "My ex-boyfriend told me to go jogging to lose weight. So I took my shoes and ran around the lake in Sa Pa town in the morning and afternoon, 4 km each time" - Hau said.

Hau's light and graceful running style caught the attention of the members of the Sapa Runners Club. After her first attempt at running 21 km with many new friends, she was sore but quickly adapted to the new challenging routes.

Just 1 month later, Hau not only completed but also won the 21km Vietnam Mountain Marathon in September 2020 with a time of 2 hours 32 minutes, 26 minutes faster than the male champion!

Success = Discipline + talent + hard work

Ha Thi Hau's trail running ability was discovered by Guim Valls Teruel, CEO of sportswear company MUDE, after he saw her race completion time in Moc Chau.

"I offered to sponsor Hau so that he could compete in many big races. At that time, Hau did not know what Strava was, did not know about watches, heart rate monitors, or even trail running poles, let alone complicated things like nutrition or training plans with a coach. At that time, Hau was zero" - Guim recalled.

Ha Thi Hau won the 100km Doi Inthanon UTMB. Photo: THI HA

With a plan to build a foundation for competing at the right distance and focusing on her strengths, along with improving her speed and endurance, Hau won the overall championship, defeating the very strong French male champion in the 100km VMM. This victory was the launching pad for Hau and her coaching team to realize their UTMB dream. Hau then won the 50km championship in Thailand and Australia in 2022; placed 4th in Mont-Blanc and finished 1st in Doi Inthanon UTMB in 2023, all in the arduous 100km.

Honoring Vietnam on the world ultra trail map

"Never before have the two phrases 'Vietnam - Lao Cai' been mentioned so much within 12 hours with the Mont-Blanc race broadcast live on television to 190 countries" - Guim Valls Teruel recalled when similar images and sounds were reproduced at the Doi Inthanon tournament in early December.

While the world's top athletes are equipped with the best equipment and have a strong support team, Hau only has modest equipment. "I brought 3 pairs of shoes. If I had better quality shoes, I could have achieved much higher results. In addition, if I can optimize my rest time, finishing early is not too difficult for me," Hau affirmed.

According to Hau, "the moment of finishing was extremely emotional and proud". "Thank you to many people in my hometown who supported and cheered me on. Vietnamese runners can go further if they have sponsorship and especially support from the sports industry and management agencies. I and many people really want to participate in major tournaments, such as the World Cross Country Championship, with the desire to honor the Vietnamese flag on the world ultra trail map".

Born to run

Whether running as a child was a coincidence of fate, running as an adult to lose weight or running for passion, over the past 3 years, Ha Thi Hau has become a "phenomenon" in the Vietnamese running community. People wonder, is there any male athlete who can beat her if they compete in the trail running races in Vietnam?

Many people call Hau "the superwoman of Vietnamese running". Simply because she is not a professional athlete, the time she has been familiar with the track for only nearly 3 years but every time she competes she wins prizes.

Ha Thi Hau's achievements are countless. Just counting the full marathon races (42 km) and above up to now, we can mention: Second place in Quy Nhon Marathon 42 km; first place in Ha Long Marathon 42 km; second place in Nha Trang Marathon 42 km; first place in Mu Cang Chai 50 km; first place in Da Lat Ultra trail 70 km for women, first place in Lam Dong trail 70 km for women, fourth place in Mont-Blanc UTMB 100 km, first place in Doi Inthanon UTMB 100 km for women...

Source: https://nld.com.vn/sieu-nhan-lang-chay-196231216210722746.htm