On Saturday morning last week, Daniel Gable, an American, traveled from Quang Binh Province to Hue for the marathon. While his two kids took part in the Kun Marathon for children, Gable and his wife registered for the full marathon (42 km).

Gable had learned about the marathon on social media and through a friend who used to run in the 2020 VM.

Daniel Gable and his family at VnExpress Marathon Imperial Hue on April 9, 2022. Photo by VnExpress/Hoai Phuong

"I chose the full marathon. This is my first time running this distance so I was quite nervous. To prepare for the tournament, I tried to run at least 10 kilometers each week and increased the distance after each run. I highly appreciated the course in Hue because of the beautiful landscapes," Gable said.

For many runners this was their second VM event. One of them is Lewis Lee Trevor from the U.K., who registered for the half marathon (21 km).

Even though I trained for the full marathon, I think I should take it slow and 21 km is a comfortable target," Trevor said.

Trevor also complimented the organization of VM this year.

"The organization is getting more professional after each event," he said.

Many foreign runners chose VM Hue because of the beautiful and convenient course, like Catalina from Colombia and Miguel from Spain.

Catalina said she doesn't often run and chose 10 km event to challenge herself and try to get into running.

Catalina (L) and Miguel at VnExpress Marathon Imperial Hue. Photo by Hoai Phuong

Miguel, who has been living in Vietnam for four years, selected the half marathon.

"I had never tried this distance before, so it was a challenge for me," he said.

Other foreign runners said they also wanted to participate but missed the registration deadline. A runner from the U.S. said that he learned about VM Hue through a conversation between two Vietnamese runners, but it was too late. However, he still came to the event to offer his support.

Source: VNE