The friendliness and kindness from the Vietnamese people that Patrick Farmer met during his 40-day ultra-marathon with fellow runner Mai Dinh Nguyen Huy overshadowed the duo's original purpose of raising money for a clean-water project.

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"I came over here to inspire people, but in fact it worked the opposite way," Farmer said at a press conference held yesterday in HCM City.

"I was inspired by the friendliness and honesty of the people, most of them children and the elderly, who were out on the side of the roads with smiles on their faces who cheered and encouraged us," he added.

"I also saw people working very hard all day on the paddy fields along the provinces that I ran through, and that image inspired me to move forward to complete the run. Age has no barrier, and if you want to do something, you can achieve anything," Farmer said.

During the race, Farmer said a man jumped off the truck and ran across the road to give him a kiss, while another man with a bunch of flowers in his hand chased after him on the side of the road to give it to him.

"Many times when I felt I couldn't drag my broken body along the road any further someone yelled and smiled. People invited me to touch their hands which reached my heart and inspired me to push on," the 51-year-old said.

Farmer and Huy reached their destination in Nam Can District in the southernmost province of Ca Mau, where the two men and their crew were treated as special guests.

"A great feeling filled me when I reached the final destination at Nam Can District in Ca Mau Province where we were welcomed by the provincial leaders there, and all the community were sent out to see us and stood around us. It was a really beautiful finish," Farmer said.

He said that becoming a marathoner allowed him to have experiences that were very different from those he had as a politician.

"Being a marathoner and doing runs all over the world allows me to touch the hearts of ordinary people on the side of the road and inspire people and to help them have a better life," the Australian said.

Huy, who gave up his job three months before to fulfill his dream of running the length of Viet Nam, said that he had become more mature after the run.

The 26-year-old man was injured when he reached Ninh Binh Province, needing five days to recover. But he still managed to move on and complete a distance of 2,000km.

"I have become more understanding about my country and its people," Huy said.

Source: VNS