From Little Sugar to ATM Championship leader

Julia Duong Nguyen Thi is the new points leader in the women’s 2020/21 Asia Trail Master Championship by winning the very wet Dalat Ultra Trail 100 in June and coming second in Vietnam Jungle Marathon 70 two weeks ago. It marks the first time a Vietnamese runner tops our championship sheet. Certainly, it is the year of corona with all its restrictions for many people, but achievements like these do not just fall out of the sky neither. ‘Little Sugar’ - as Julia is often nicknamed - grabbed the opportunity with determination, proper preparation and, of course, some pretty strong trail running on both race days themselves. Time to learn a bit more about Julia Duong Nguyen Thi and her inspiring journey to the top of the Asia Trail Master Championship ranking.

Q&A by Kris Van de Velde

Could you explain a little on your background. Where are you from in Vietnam and what made you become a trail runner?

I am from the countryside of Ha Noi. I am from Co Loa – Dong Anh- Ha Noi. Since I was young , I was always smallest in the class (when I was 15, I weighed only 30 kg.) I not only failed at sports, but I hated them. That why my name “ Tiểu Đường, or “Little Sugar”.
My family is very poor. When I was in high school, my sports teacher helped and encouraged me to take my exams for university. To show my gratitude to him, I volunteered for a 400m race. That was the first time I ever enjoyed anything sport related.

In Ha Noi Industrial University, I was also part of the running team for 5 years. We only practiced one month out of the year, and only ran 1.5 km for fun.

Afterwards, when I started going to work, I stopped running. In February 2016, I heard about the LDR long-distance runners team. When I heard that they ran a 15 km lap around West Lake, I thought they must be crazy! But one day when I attended, I found that I could run 15 km myself. I was surprised and wanted to challenge myself more, so I gradually started running more. I discovered that I love the running community. The people are so positive and social. 

When j Ioined in LoopUltraTrail 2016, Ms. Nha from Salomon gifted me with a pair of shoes. She said to me: “do your best, run VMM, and bring the prize back to Vietnam. We’ve never had a Vietnamese runner stand on the podium for this race, in our own home country! So I tried very hard to bring the prize to Vietnamese women. I was then of course very proud that I was a Vietnamese woman who could stand on the podium of the 100km race in 2017 to receive the award. My love for my country is what empowered me to achieve that honor.

So sports is actually a relatively new thing for you.

Yes, my 1st long run was that 15 km lap in February of 2016. I’ve only recently overcome my limitations and fallen in love with the sport.

Do you have a trail running coach or are you just going by yourself?

I m used to make my training plan myself, but with some advice from experienced runners. 

When I lived in Ha Noi, daily I run alone between 20h-22h00 * 2-3 Sunday/ months: I go to Ha Noi center 20km from home, running with team LDR long distance, DAR Dong Anh , LB Long Bien, Eco park ….Or go trail running, at Soc Soc province, 30km from home. After I moved to Ho Chi Minh City in August 2019, I often run alone. On Sundays I join long runs with the VNG team, UPFIT team, RFF team, ARteam … Now the nearest trail is 80 km away, so I only can trail run 1 times/ months.


For sure trail is still just a hobby? What do you do for a living?

That’s right. I found that I fell in love with running, but especially running on the trail. I learned studied chemical engineering at university. I had a high salary working for a Japanese company. Then In August 2019, I quit my job. I wanted to do something in the fitness world because it is my passion. I moved to Ho Chi Minh City. I got an interview with Mr. Al Morgan, who is one of the people who brought the gym industry to Vietnam over a decade ago. He started a new company called Upfit which specializes in fitness coaching and corporate fitness, and is passionate about bringing up the quality of training in Viet Nam. He said that I have a lot of energy and passion, so I can help many people. So I learned and changed my field. Now I am a coach for Upfit, and I am very happy and proud to say that I help people change their lives and become better versions of themselves.

You were the only official female finisher in the gruelling Dalat Ultra Trail 100 last June. How bad were the conditions for you that day?

2 weeks before DLUT, I had an accident. I sprained my ankle badly. It was very difficult for me to run, as I was supposed to ensure my ankle always keeps stable by landing flat. The heavy rain during the race… I am sad. Suddenly there was the accident with one participant, and the organization did try its best to handle the situation. If it takes place again next year, I will join again.

Two years ago you won VJM 70 in a time of 13:16:51. This year you finish second in 10:16:24, behind new name Dung Nguyen Thuy. You improved by 3 hours and you did not win. Has the Vietnamese trail running level improved that much in two years?

Ms. Dung surprised me and amazed me. She has gotten so much stronger. I am really happy that Vietnamese runners are getting stronger. It’s really great for our running community.
This year in VJM, I got really unlucky as the race fell on my “woman’s time”, and I had to push through a great deal of discomfort. But I tried my best and I’m very satisfied. And I feel that I improved a lot after starting a cross training program with Upfit in our home office of VNG Gym. I’m really thankful to Upfit and VNG for that. When I lived in Ha Noi, I only ran, and didn’t know anything about cross training.

You have already done quite a few races on the ATM tour, including in Malaysia (Penang Eco). Did it feel different to be running in a different country than Vietnam?

Being able to speak English makes it a lot easier to bond with runners outside of Vietnam. I love running races outside of Viet Nam for the opportunity to see the beauty of other countries and experience their cultures. I ran in China 42km , Thailand 100km, Malaysia 100km. It was really wonderful. However, it’s a little expensive, so I only race overseas about once per year.

Will you run VMM next month? If yes, which distance?

I’m already registered for the VMM 100 km, but I am still considering whether or not to join. Because between VJM and VMM, only one race of the two will be retained for my ranking for ATM in 2021. 
Also I’m registered for the VNExpress 42 km in my hometown for my birthday on November 28.

You are the new women’s leader in the ATM Championship with 950 points in 2 races. If you win VMM 100, you could still improve slightly and finish the year with 1000 points. Does it make you proud to be the first Vietnamese runner to top the ranking?

Regarding the position at the top of the ATM board, I am quite surprised, happy and humbled to have the honor of representing Vietnam

I really hope that I can achieve 5 more strong results in 2021. But as of right now, I haven’t decided which races to run.

I hope to have the opportunity to cooperate with sponsors in order to have the opportunity to participate in more foreign events, to add ATM points and mark Vietnamese women at prestigious international running competitions. I hope that Asia Trail Master can continue to develop and encourage more runners in Asia, so that we can join more famous races around the region and the world.

Thank you for this great Q&A, Julia, and best of luck in the months to come!

‘Little Sugar’ on her way to winning VJM in 2018, her first race victory on the ATM tour

Two weeks ago, Julia settled for second place at VJM, but it was enough to claim the points lead (photo credit: VJM)