Van Trang and the story of Lao Than peak: Run with your legs, not with other people’s mouths

About four hours and 26 minutes after the starting signal echoed through the Y Ty valley, Van Trang – nicknamed Jang Doll – crossed the finish line of the 42km distance at the Y Ty Golden Season 2026 trail race in an emotional moment. The finish area immediately filled with cheers when organizers confirmed she was the first female runner to complete the course. But what made her mark bigger than the medal itself was the overall classification: the mother of four, born in 2026, not only finished first among women but also reached second place overall, behind only one male runner.

Y Ty Golden Season is not an easy race. Y Ty commune lies in Bat Xat district, Lao Cai province, where golden terraced fields stretch along the mountain slopes and the highland air makes every athlete cautious. The 42km distance features more than 1,300 meters of cumulative elevation gain, with steep climbs around Lao Than peak, 2,860 meters above sea level. In that context, Van Trang’s victory is not just the story of a woman who loves running; it is a performance of endurance, careful pacing and, above all, mental strength against pressure from her own body and from outside judgment.

Talking about the moment when she had to push through fatigue, Van Trang said: “The 42km course has steep sections that almost drain the body. At that moment I just focused on the next segment, kept my breathing rhythm, distributed my energy and refueled at the right time. I kept telling myself: Stay calm, as long as you still have strength, you still have a chance. This endurance comes from consistency and discipline. In addition to running, I combine gym work, swimming and supplementary exercises to build strength day by day.”

That statement reveals a clear training philosophy: long-distance trail runners cannot rely on momentary inspiration. On a course with more than 1,300 meters of elevation gain, heart rate spikes on steep climbs, leg muscles must absorb constant impact and oxygen availability decreases with altitude. Without a physical foundation built over months, no amount of luck would have helped a female runner finish second overall in the whole race.

After Van Trang’s finish photo was shared widely, something unexpected happened. Instead of focusing on her 4-hour-26-minute achievement, a segment of social media users turned their attention to her natural chest size under her tight athletic outfit. Many disrespectful comments appeared in running groups, with some even using the phrase “carrying two grapefruits while running” to mock her. This is a classic example of evaluating sportswomen by appearance rather than ability, a stereotype that still exists widely in Vietnam’s online community.

Van Trang did not choose silence. Soon after learning about the whispers, she responded directly and sharply: “Honestly, I dare anyone to carry two grapefruits and run 42km or 55km on mountain terrain! I run with my legs, not with my appearance, so why put me in a group to gossip? Some people see pressure; I see motivation to supply vitamin C to my spirit. What matters is I still finished, I am still healthy and happy. Judge as you wish; I run with my own legs, not with other people’s mouths.”

Her response quickly received sympathy from the running community. Many people said that if a muscular male runner finished second overall, everyone would praise his discipline and strength. But when a woman did the same thing, the crowd turned to her curves instead. That unfairness turned Van Trang’s story from a personal achievement into a broader debate about how women in sports are perceived.

The Hanoi-based runner also expressed her hope that the crowd would adopt a more civilized view of women in sports. She said: “When women play sports, what deserves to be recognized first is their effort and results. Appearance is each person’s own story, while results are the outcome of years of training. When you see a girl on the race course, I hope you see someone trying to conquer her own limits.”

The mother of four did not hesitate when asked whether she would change her outfit to avoid judgment. Her answer carried a powerful message about the right to be oneself: “Sports clothing first of all must be comfortable and safe. If I changed myself just because I feared being stared at, I would probably have to live under other people’s eyes forever. I choose to focus on the course and my goals. Marathon taught me that I cannot always run in perfect conditions. Life is the same. Compliments make me happy, criticism makes me reflect, and malicious words I learn to let go.”

From a biomechanical perspective, Van Trang’s response makes her resilience even more impressive. For women, a naturally large chest does not help running; it adds weight and wind resistance in the upper body. Sports injury studies suggest that more soft tissue in the chest can affect the center of mass, requiring more adjustment to maintain balance while running on trails. Yet Van Trang still completed 42km with more than 1,300 meters of elevation gain in 4 hours 26 minutes, ahead of almost all male participants. That shows she must have trained with great intensity and discipline to compensate for the mechanical disadvantages her body faces.

Van Trang’s discipline does not come from running alone. She has repeatedly emphasized that she keeps doing gym work, swimming and supplementary exercises to develop whole-body strength. For trail runners, gym work strengthens the glutes, thighs and core muscles, protecting the knees during descents. Swimming supports recovery without placing stress on the joints. This is a highly scientific plan, especially suitable for someone who has given birth four times and has to balance family care with athletic passion.

Vietnam’s running community has seen many excellent female athletes achieve great results, but it is still uncommon for a female runner to reach second overall in a long trail race. Usually, at distances of 42km or longer, men are considered to have physiological advantages in muscle mass, lung capacity and energy metabolism. Therefore, the fact that Van Trang only lost to one male runner at Y Ty Golden Season 2026 is an important indicator. It shows not only her personal ability but also that the gender gap in sports can be narrowed with intelligent training and perseverance.

Notably, the body-shaming comments came after one of the most proud achievements of her career. This reflects a systemic problem: society tends to scrutinize women’s appearance more than their achievements. A similar lesson has been seen in international athletics when female athletes received malicious comments even after winning medals for their countries. When a woman’s ability becomes so high that it can no longer be challenged, some spectators try to pull her down with comments about her body. Van Trang chose not to let that affect her mood.

The way she responded sends an important message to women participating in sports: no one has the right to define another person’s value by body measurements. On trail routes like Y Ty, the only things testing a person are the slopes, the weather, breathing and willpower. These factors are the most accurate measure of effort. A woman can be a mother, a wife, a passionate athlete and still achieve high results if she has a suitable training plan and absolute persistence.

Van Trang’s journey at Y Ty is also a compressed lesson in racing psychology. When the body lacks energy on long climbs, athletes must confront an inner voice telling them to stop. Using a positive mantra, like Van Trang telling herself “stay calm, as long as you have strength you still have a chance,” is an effective technique to divert attention from fatigue. By dividing the course into many small sections and handling each part separately, she did not let the full 42km scare her. That step-by-step mentality is something anyone can learn from an athlete devoted to conquering difficult routes.

Looking only at 4 hours 26 minutes, one cannot see the full price Van Trang paid to reach that level. There were early mornings when she woke up while her children were still asleep, workouts under heat or rain, and days when her body ached but she still had to complete the plan. That she can maintain such training volume while raising four children proves that scientific scheduling and personal determination can overcome barriers many believe impossible. Her performance on Lao Than did not come from a fortunate race; it came from thousands of kilometers of running and hundreds of hours of supplementary training accumulated over many years.

Remarkably, Van Trang has no intention of stopping. Soon after the praise and even the mockery continued to echo, she shared her next goal: conquering the more brutal ultra trail distance at VMM 70km, with a plan to run 100km at the end of the year. Moving from 42km to 70km to 100km is a huge step in trail running because it requires different energy systems, recovery strategies and nutrition management. By choosing 70km as a bridge, she shows that she will not rush into 100km; instead, she wants to test her limits wisely.

“Let results speak. I do not need to become a version that others want to see. It is enough to become a better version of myself every day,” Van Trang stated, expressing her determination for the road ahead. That statement is both a philosophy of life and a reminder to people who love making comments on sports social media. When a runner finishes, the first thing they deserve is respect, because they have done something many keyboard users would never dare to attempt.

From the Y Ty trail with its golden terraced fields, Van Trang’s story shows that women’s sport is much more than a game of chance. It is the result of careful preparation, and society must change its perspective. It would be better if women who run trail receive encouragement that matches their true value. They do not need anyone to mention whether their chest is big or small. They need to be seen as athletes, with their training hours, their logged kilometers and the mountains they have conquered.

Van Trang may not change every stereotype with one post. But by speaking up and continuing to win, she is contributing to teaching the community how to view women’s sports more fairly. She runs with her legs, and those legs brought her to second place overall in a demanding trail race. If there were a mirror reflecting all meaningless judgments, it should have been placed right at the finish line for everyone to see: results are the only thing that cannot be distorted by gossip.

Van Trang’s story will continue to live with every footprint on the trail. As she prepares for VMM 70km and the farther goal of 100km, she carries with her not only her own hours of training. She also carries a new standard for Vietnamese women in sport: it is not a narrow idea of a beautiful body that deserves admiration, but a body that knows how to rise above itself in hardship that is worth honoring the most.