Vietnamese woman overcomes Triple Deca Continuous -- one of world’s toughest triathlons
Friday, October 18, 2024, 21:09 GMT+7
Vietnamese athlete Thanh Vu, also known as Vu Phuong Thanh, finished seventh among 14 competitors at the Triple Deca Continuous, which is known as one of the toughest triathlons in the world.
The triathlon features a 114km swim in a 50-meter pool, a 5,400km bike in a seven-kilometer lap in open traffic, and 1,266km running in a one-kilometer lap.
Thanh Vu is a familiar name at the most challenging marathons and triathlons in Vietnam and around the world.
On October 15, the 34-year-old athlete completed Triple Deca Continuous, the longest-ever triathlon in endurance sport history, which is three times the longest road in Vietnam – National Highway 1A measuring 2,301km in length.
Triple Deca Continuous was held in Desenzano del Garda, Italy between September 1 and October 16.
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| Thanh Vu during the bike ride portion of Triple Deca Continuous |
Thanh Vu successfully conquered the challenge in 1,044 hours, seven minutes, and 45 seconds, nearly 36 hours faster than the total time limit of 1,088 hours.
She completed the swimming portion in 95 hours 47 minutes, the cycling category in 535 hours 53 minutes 56 seconds, and the running segment in 403 hours 35 minutes 23 seconds.
Among the 14 competitors, six did not finish.
After the race, Thanh Vu took to Facebook to write, “It's quite poetic that out of the three women who have completed the above distance for the first time in history of ultra triathlon, each claims the best time in a discipline. Lia Dreghiciu Sterciuc holds the best swim time. Shanda Hill Ultra Athlete holds the best bike time.
“Despite falling apart in the beginning, I pulled through with the best run time.”
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| Thanh Vu during Triple Deca Continuous |
She added that the only opponent that anyone needs to defeat is themselves. Triple Deca Continuous is not really a race but a fight of physical and mental strength.
In 2022, Thanh Vu became the first Vietnamese national to win the Deca Ultratriathlon World Championship, which was hosted by Switzerland then, after swimming 38 kilometers, cycling 1,800 kilometers, and running 422 kilometers in 328 hours 27 minutes 55 seconds.
She is now a manager at an enterprise in Vietnam.
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