On the afternoon of October 15, Vu Phuong Thanh (also known in the sports community as Thanh Vu) successfully completed the ultra triathlon at Triple Deca Continous. This is the longest ultra triathlon in the world with the events of swimming 144 km, cycling 5,400 km and running 1,260 km.
According to the organizers' results, Thanh Vu finished 7th with a total time of 1044 hours, 7 minutes and 45 seconds. Of which, Thanh Vu completed the swimming race in 95 hours, 47 minutes, cycling in 535 hours, 53 minutes, 56 seconds, and running in 403 hours, 35 minutes, 23 seconds.
Detailed timetable from Triple Deca Continous organizers.
Thanh Vu was one of seven athletes who completed the Triple Deca Continous. The remaining seven athletes either dropped out or finished past the 1080 hour time limit. Also finishing the same as Thanh Vu were Goulwenn Tristan (France), Jurij Tarca (Philippines), Alfons Möstl (Austria), Tautvydas Grabauskas (Lithuania), Shanda Hill (Canada) and Lia Sterciuc (USA).
Triple Deca Continous did not have separate events for men and women. All 14 athletes competed on the same track. Thanh Vu, Shanda Hill and Lia Sterciuc were the three female athletes to finish.
Moved by this feat, Thanh Vu shared on social media: "The fact that the first 3 women to complete this distance in Ultra Triathlon history all achieved the best results in a sport is truly a dream.
Lia Dreghiciu Sterciuc set a personal record for the swim, Shanda Hill set a record for the bike. I was almost devastated at first, and it took the help of Tanya Piratay, Anthony Leigh and Brad Kelley - my support team - to get me through the race."
Thanh Vu (left) with assistant Tanya Piratay (right).
Who is Thanh Vu?
Thanh Vu is a famous athlete in the marathon world in Vietnam. In 2016, she became the first Asian female athlete to complete the 4 Desert Grand Slam, a race across the 4 harshest deserts in the world : the Sahara Desert (Namibia), the Gobi Desert (China), the Atacama Desert (Chile), and Antarctica.
A year later, Thanh Vu became the first Asian female athlete to complete The Track 522km. This is a 522km race, spanning 9 stages. Thanh Vu took about 10 days to conquer this challenge.
In 2022, she completed the world's toughest triathlon, the Deca-Triathlon World Championship in Switzerland. It took her 14 days to swim 38 km, cycle 1,800 km and run 422 km.
In March 2024, she completed the 500 km snow walking challenge at the Montane Lapland Arctic Ultra (MLAU). Thanh Vu completed the competition after 9 days, 9 hours and 18 minutes.
Before completing the competition at Triple Deca Continous on October 15, Thanh Vu wrote on social media: "The lesson from the Ultra Triathlon competition is: As an athlete, don't dream about taking a shower, don't dream about sleeping. Don't ask for more food or electricity or water. The 5-star standard is only for KOLs. Be quiet and keep going!"
Thanh Vu said many times he wanted to give up.
What is the Triple Deca Continuous Competition?
The Triple Deca Continuous is the world's toughest ultra triathlon. It takes place in Desenzano del Garda, Italy. Competitors complete a 144km swim, 5,400km bike ride, and 1,260km run.
Athletes need to complete the competition within 1080 hours, or 45 days, from September 1 to September 16. Of the 14 athletes participating in Triple Deca Continous 2024, only 7 people finished.
Source: https://vtcnews.vn/sieu-nhan-thanh-vu-chinh-phuc-thu-thach-triathlon-dai-nhat-the-gioi-ar902191.html
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