Mai Trung and Dan Quyet: 10 Meters on the Nghe An Coastal Course

The gap between the two leaders in the men's 42km race was only about 10 meters. That was the figure recorded as Nguyen Mai Trung edged ahead of Dan Quyet in the early stage of the race, a gap short enough to hear the footsteps of the runner behind, yet wide enough that no one could afford to relax. At exactly 3 a.m., as Ho Chi Minh Square was still wrapped in darkness, Dan Quyet, Dao Ba Thanh and Mai Trung quickly broke away from the pack. Ten minutes after the start, Mai Trung and Dan Quyet ran side by side, trading the lead. Mai Trung looked intensely focused, while Dan Quyet kept a relaxed spirit, waving to cameras along the route. That contrast says a great deal about two different ways of approaching a long-distance race. This was the first time VnExpress Marathon Grand Tour set foot in Nghe An, the hometown of President Ho Chi Minh, with four distances: 5km, 10km, 21km and 42km. All runners started at the Ho Chi Minh Square area and finished on Truong Thi Street, at the intersection with Le Van Huu Street. The longest distance, 42km, began at 3 a.m., the earliest of the day. Next, the 21km started at 4 a.m., the 10km at 5 a.m., and the 5km at 6 a.m. Staggering the start times by distance helped organizers manage the flow of people and ensure safety across the whole course. From Ho Chi Minh Square, runners went through Ho Tung Mau, Truong Thi and Le Nin Avenue before joining Vinh - Cua Lo Avenue. After about 16km, the course took athletes onto Binh Minh route, passing the Cua Lo coastal area and turning around at Cua Xa. For the 21km, runners followed the Ho Tung Mau - Truong Thi - Le Nin Avenue route and then ran straight along Vinh - Cua Lo Avenue, turning around at about km 11 before returning to the city center. This distance had two cutoff points, at km 10 at 5:40 a.m. and km 16.9 at 6:50 a.m., with the course closing at 7:30 a.m. The 10km had one cutoff point at km 6 at 6:15 a.m. and closed at 7 a.m., while the 5km took place entirely in the city center, with no cutoff and closing at 7:15 a.m. Nguyen Mai Trung, 35, from Hanoi, works in e-commerce and is a member of Thanh Cong Runners Club. He drew attention in the capital's running community with a time of 2 hours 41 minutes 55 seconds at VnExpress Marathon Hai Phong 2026, finishing 69th on the list of the fastest full marathon runners in Vietnamese history. A record is just an excuse to remember a person, not a number. Behind that milestone lie years of accumulated fitness and speed, enough to give him the confidence to stay with the lead group from the very first kilometers. Racing experience at major events helps Mai Trung stay calm under the pressure of a long-distance race, where any mistake in pacing must be paid for in the final kilometers. Dan Quyet, regarded as one of the most formidable rivals in Nghe An this time, chose a completely different demeanor. Waving to cameras mid-race was not only a sign of confidence but also showed his ability to control pace and his psychological ease, factors that often decide performance over 42km. Besides these two names, Dao Ba Thanh and Le Van Huong were also notable athletes in the lineup. In the women's race, the competition brought a surprise as home runner My Hien temporarily moved into the lead. She holds a personal record of 3 hours 7 minutes 39 seconds and runs with Nghe An Runners Club. There is something more enduring than a title: the way others remember how you ran. Having a runner from the host team lead on a familiar course is no small advantage, since she knows every slope, every turn and the pace required for each segment. The women's result thus became one of the most closely watched points of this year's event. Before the start, many runners remarked that this was one of the events with the fewest 42km runners, creating favorable conditions to compete for places and set personal records. The course in Nghe An was considered fairly favorable, with good road surfaces and few steep climbs. With a thin lead group, the men's 42km race essentially came down to a direct duel between Mai Trung and Dan Quyet, where the tactics of drafting behind and surging in the final kilometers became more important than ever. What few noticed is that a beautiful coastal course also poses its own tactical challenges. The section through Binh Minh and Cua Lo takes athletes near the sea, where wind and humidity can change the course of a race. A runner leading alone on an open stretch must bear the full force of the wind, while the one behind saves considerable energy. The 10-meter gap is therefore not merely a number about position, but a tactical choice. The leader accepts risk to take control, while the chaser accumulates energy for a final surge. Whoever understands pacing and conserves strength will hold the advantage at the finish. Behind the start line, hundreds of volunteers, along with local police, traffic police and medical staff, had been working since the evening of September 26 to ensure safety for every step. They were deployed to points along the course, installing infrastructure, completing water stations and cheer zones before runners entered the race. VnExpress Marathon Nghe An 2026, held for the first time in the hometown of President Ho Chi Minh, is not only a contest for rankings. It is also an occasion for a nationwide running community to gather, and for names like Mai Trung, Dan Quyet and My Hien to add another milestone to their long journeys. The race still has its kilometers ahead, and the answer will come only when the medal is awarded.