The 63-year-old tailor ran sub 3:20 at the MetaSports Marathon Ha Long

Before the start of VM Ha Long 2023, Mr. Ket, 63 years old, stood arm in arm and talked to a few familiar runners on the starting line. Many runners saw that the old man had gray hair and a thin figure but ran 42 km, so they admired him and gave him a lot of encouragement. Mr. Ket then warmly responded to everyone's feelings and promised to prove it with his performance on the track.

The starting signal rang, Mr. Ket ran quickly forward, actively chasing Vo Kinh - the famous U70 runner of Binh Duong. Vo Kinh is a familiar face, participating in all MetaSports Marathons in 2023. His best performance of the year was 3 hours and 18 minutes in Ho Chi Minh City earlier this year. Mr. Kinh himself did not think that the tournament in Ha Long would have opponents pursuing it fiercely.

Mr. Ket almost always followed Vo Kinh closely with his bold, strong stride. The two runners ran at an average pace of 4:45. Mr. Ket's pursuit also seemed to motivate the others. The image of two old men following each other on the race track made many runners excited, cheering, high-fiving and cheering.

Mr. Ket said he did not set a goal of finishing first in his age group, but wanted to explore his own limits so he chose to follow Vo Kinh. Used to running in steep hilly terrain in Ha Giang, the 63-year-old runner did not encounter many difficulties when crossing Bai Chay bridge. The rain on the morning of September 10 also gave him more energy to help him run more fiercely. However, he could not overtake his opponent due to difficulty accelerating in the final distance. As a result, Mr. Ket finished in 3 hours and 18 minutes, winning second place in the over 60 age group, while Vo Kinh finished in 3 hours and 17 minutes.

"Today's competition results are beautiful. This is a very good achievement for me because the track is beautiful, the water is good, and the weather is favorable. If I hadn't tried jogging, I probably wouldn't have had beautiful moments like this." , the runner from Ha Giang said after achieving a feat that few people under the age of 70 can achieve.

Mr. Nguyen Van Ket is a tailor in Ha Giang. 14 years ago, he started running because he felt his body was getting weaker at the age of 50. He accidentally read an article about a man who discovered cancer cells. This person then jogged to improve his health, and was later diagnosed that the cancer cells had disappeared. The article was Mr. Ket's motivation to start running.

At that time, not many people pursued this subject. Mr. Ket only dared to run in the stadium because of shame. "I didn't dare run on the street because I was shy. The first few days of running a few laps of the yard, my insides were all hot. Luckily, my body adapted quickly so I could run lightly," the runner born in 1960 shared. shall.

After a week of running, Mr. Ket tried 5 km and saw his body react positively. Since then, every day he has maintained the habit of exercising for two hours every morning. As his speed improved, he was no longer shy. The 63-year-old runner switched to running routes in Ha Giang city. The training distance gradually increases. After three months, he was able to run 21 km. A year later, he successfully conquered 42 km with a record of 3 hours and 43 minutes.

The image of Mr. Ket with silver hair and a skinny figure running around the steep, winding roads in Ha Giang has become familiar to many people. On sunny or rainy days, he maintained it without missing a single session. "Many people say I'm skinny, why do I still run? I can only laugh because running makes me feel stronger, more resilient and have more energy to pursue work in old age. Others encourage me, seeing me as a high fives and cheers," he said.

After more than 14 years of running, Mr. Ket can now run most distances at very fast speeds. He once ran up to 80 km in a long run nearly a year ago. The old runner admitted that he seemed to have qualities the more he ran, the harder he ran. There was a time when he ran dozens of kilometers without getting tired, without needing water or gel.

However, the "old man" of the Ha Giang marathon admitted that he still had some bad points. He hasn't been able to "persuade" his relatives to run like him. This is his biggest wish because, according to him, running is an easy sport to play, and it trains discipline and good health.

"I always want the whole family to be able to run together. As for me, I will definitely continue to pursue this subject for a long time, because according to the measurements, my physical age is only 20," he said. Conclusion of sharing.