Korean runner runs 4,720 km around Vietnam

On April 12, Mr. Kim arrived in Da Nang, after having made about 75% of the two-way journey across Vietnam, with a duration of 3 months and 11 days. The skin of this Korean runner has darkened, like red soil because of "exposure" to the sun for many days, but his mouth always smiles when talking about his experiences in Vietnam.

"There was a very steep slope, I was thirsty and my throat was dry. My backpack didn't carry water because I was afraid of being heavy, but there was no water shop nearby. Just when I was most tired and thirsty, a container truck driver passed by. , stopped and gave me a bottle of chilled water. At that time, I was like a dead person coming back to life, quickly received a bottle of water to drink, poured all over my body. I am really grateful to that kind driver, "he started the sentence. story.

In 2020, Kim and her 9-year-old son went to Kien Giang to travel for the winter vacation, when the first wave of Covid-19 gradually subsided. The father and son spent more than a month running along the beaches and roads of Phu Quoc island, enjoying the food and learning about the local culture. He was impressed with the gentle, simple and hospitable Vietnamese people.

Returning home, Kim planned to run across the Korean peninsula so that "his son is proud of himself". But casually holding a map of Vietnam, he looked at the roads annotated in Korean and noticed that the S-shaped country had many similarities with his hometown. Adding to the impressions from the first trip, Kim decided to return to Vietnam to carry out the running plan.

As a stock investor, Kim put aside work to go to Vietnam to make a trip he planned for 4-5 months, with 3,000 USD with him to cover all travel, meals and accommodation expenses. On January 1, 2023, he set foot in Ho Chi Minh City and took a bus to Ca Mau, starting his jogging journey with a backpack containing at least 15 kg of personal luggage, standing on his shoulder. The man from Seoul took a white cloth sewn to the outside of his backpack and wrote on the words in Vietnamese: "4,720 km, from Ca Mau to Hanoi, back to Ca Mau".

"I've been running for 20 years. When I said I would run this distance, many friends didn't believe me. Some people said I was crazy. But when I arrived in Kien Giang, I met a Vietnamese, he admired and believed me. I'll do it. That's what motivates me to keep going," he said.

On the way from Ca Mau to Hanoi to return to Da Nang, he lost from 75 kg to 55 kg. This runner admits his legs are fine and the challenge mainly comes from having to carry a backpack on his shoulder. He usually starts running around 5-6am. Every day, Kim maintains a distance of about 35 km, not focusing on the achievement of "having to run fast". He ran along the highways, with the help of the map app. Ran randomly, without finding out where to stop, so many times going through the countryside, Kim had to run up to 50 km to find a motel or hotel.

To protect her feet for the long haul, Kim often changes her shoes after running about 700 km. Whenever he has to buy new shoes, he doesn't take advantage of travel, but takes time off for a day and enjoys some local dishes. "I can eat all the dishes in Vietnam, from bun cha, bun bo, pho to noodles... and every dish is very tasty," this runner said.

Kim remembers all the provinces he has been to and can tell places in Vietnamese, but "most preferred is Thanh Hoa city because it is very clean and has wide roads". On the way, he always received the welcome and help of the people. There was a boy on his way home from school, saw Kim jogging in the sun, cycled back, put a 20,000 dong bill in his hand, saying "Give me a drink to buy". Some running clubs in the localities where he passed also sent messages of support, encouragement, even riding motorbikes to support Kim on some distances.

"I love Vietnam," Kim said before leaving Da Nang to continue the remaining 1,250 km to Ca Mau cape of the two-way running journey across Vietnam.

He commented that the running track in Vietnam is very beautiful, especially the coastal roads. "I also know that the MetaSports Marathon system has successfully organized many races in a number of provinces and cities in Vietnam, both during the day and at night, attracting a large number of international runners. If given the opportunity, I would love to win one. belonging to this system," Kim shared.