Vietnamese athlete Do Ngan Son won the Phu Quoc International Marathon on June 11.

Vietnamese athlete Do Ngan Son won the Phu Quoc International Marathon on June 11.

Outpacing the entire international field, Son conquered the island race in three hours 51 minutes and 29 seconds to claim the title. “Today I felt free, ran with my heart, enjoyed nature and the people around me,” Son said. “I controlled my strength and pushed hard to maintain my first place after the first half of the race.”

Even the heat wasn’t enough to stop the champion from setting an impressive time.

“The hot weather made me fight harder,” Son said.

The second place in the men’s event went to Yohan Duflors of France. The third place went to Guido Joerg of Germany.

In the women’s race, Constance Louasse finished with a time of five hours 41 minutes and 17 seconds. She was closely followed by Nguyen Thao and Chu Thi Tuyet Nhung of Vietnam.

The races started and finished at the Long Beach Resort Phu Quoc, situated on the southern half of Phu Quoc Island, with one of the most scenic stretches of beaches in Southeast Asia.

Various events were scheduled – the main race of 42km (Full Marathon), the shorter 21km race (Half Marathon), the 10km race and the 5km fun run. The races, which finished inside the resort grounds, welcomed athletes to run straight into the refreshing ocean.

VNA