Pham Thi Binh won the second MetaSports Marathon

On the morning of April 16, the audience and jogging lovers clapped to welcome the female full marathon champion - Pham Thi Binh. She said she was surprised by the result. "I don't think I won first place, I just guess I will reach the time target. Unlike usual, today, I wore shoes for the first time for a long distance," she said and revealed that she took the train from Quang Ngai to Hue yesterday afternoon. , not familiar with the weather in the ancient capital.

The former athlete born in 1989 said that thanks to her juniors Ha Thi Hau, Pham Thi Hong Le, Pham Thi Hue, Hoang Thi Ngoc Hoa not participating in VM Hue, she had a chance to win.

Longtime track and field followers are familiar with the image of Pham Thi Binh crossing the finish line barefoot in high-performance sports tournaments. She revealed that she often runs barefoot because of her physical condition (born with a birth defect), when wearing shoes, her legs will be stiff, severe cramps. But this time Vote wears shoes. "I wanted to protect my feet from injury following the advice of my uncle Doan Ngoc Hai, so I decided to change my strategy. These shoes are a gift from my uncle. I will forever remember today's race," she said.

During the first half, Pham Thi Binh fell to second, then third. It took until kilometer 20 to take the lead. About km 30, she had cramps, froze her legs but quickly handled the situation to continue the race. "Many years of experience in the top battlefield helped me overcome difficulties and inconveniences when wearing shoes. The pacer team, volunteers, police force... supported me to reach the finish line safely", Pham Thi Binh let me know.

Although not achieving the same achievements as the champion of VM Quy Nhon 2022 (2 hours 58 minutes), the athlete was still satisfied because he exceeded his limit. Happiness is doubled when her student - Dinh Thi Kim Phuong (born in 2009) - won the women's 5km championship in her first large-scale run. Nguyen Ngo Dai - husband Pham Thi Binh - also competed in the distance 42km, aiming for sub4. "Yesterday, my first child participated in Kun Marathon, he was very excited when he received a medal."

For nearly a month, besides the student training schedule, Pham Thi Binh spent a lot of time practicing on shoes. Every time she runs, she seems to relive the glory of 2013 - the time to make history, bringing home the first women's marathon gold medal for Vietnam at the SEA Games (with 2 hours 46 minutes and 3 seconds) - an achievement beyond expectations. data of Vietnamese athletics. Before that, for 10 years, she competed in many domestic and foreign tournaments, but the coaching board set a silver medal for her.

Retired at the age of 25, Pham Thi Binh got married, gave birth to two children in turn, and worked as a coach at the Quang Ngai athletics team. Every year, her students often participate in professional races and movements, in which many people achieve good results. In class, Pham Thi Binh considers herself difficult and demanding. However, back in everyday life, she considers her students as the youngest, relatives, and always supports them with all her might.

Pham Thi Binh returns to compete from 2020, the 10km distance at Ba Ra mountain climbing tournament 2020. She only spent a month training for that tournament. But to return to the marathon, "Barefoot Queen" has to put in a lot of effort to practice. At MetaSports Marathon Hue in April 2022, she finished second behind junior Pham Thi Hue. MetaSports Marathon Quy Nhon 2022 is the first tournament Pham Thi Binh has been crowned since retiring.

She highly appreciates the MetaSports Marathon system, which both creates opportunities for professional athletes to improve their performance, towards international tournaments, and promotes the running movement in Vietnam. On the run, Pham Thi Binh met countless runners U70, 80 or teenagers, radiant and friendly faces. Most recognized the "Barefoot Queen" once, calling her name, waving and wishing her continued championship. She said that the drizzle, the cool air and the shimmering scenery of Hue helped her and the runner community have more memorable memories.

In its third visit to Hue, the MetaSports Marathon increased in both size and quality. The number of athletes increased from 4,700 to 10,500. The distance of 42km starts at the earliest, at 3 o'clock. The distances of 21, 10 and 5km start at 4h, 5h and 5h30 respectively.

Through every step, runners discover Hue both nostalgic and modern. The first half of the 42km route is a journey through historical landmarks such as the Citadel, Truong Tien Bridge, and Quoc Hoc School. The second half of the road passes through modern streets, expanding into green suburbs with new urban areas.