When this article appeared on the page, she and the athletes were ready to conquer the set goal in Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa).
Steps to conquer all challenges
2026 has many important tasks for me. Especially in which, the focus will be on the 2026 National Marathon Championship of Tien Phong Newspaper and the 2026 Ba Ra peak climbing cross-country race. Both races are counted as achievements of the X-2026 National Sports Games. I am very determined to conquer challenges," Hoang Thi Ngoc Hoa expressed when chatting in Thailand during the 33rd SEA Games.
Speaking of Ngoc Hoa, marathon athletics experts are no longer unfamiliar. And when talking about Ngoc Hoa, everyone always has a good impression of this runner. Because she is approachable and always shares openly whenever talking about athletics expertise or talking about competitions on the harsh marathon track.
Before coming to Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa) to participate in the National Marathon 2026 Tien Phong Newspaper Championship, Hoang Thi Ngoc Hoa had valuable professional experience at the Tokyo Marathon 2026 (Japan) right at the beginning of March. She participated in one of the most prestigious races of the world marathon (World Marathon Majors).
“In Japan recently, I competed against top international athletes of the marathon - 42km race. I learned a lot from here. One of the decisive points when competing is to know how to distribute fitness appropriately through each kilometer of competition.
And in competitions with high competitiveness, it will be very important to stay calm, stabilize your spirit and focus on the track. I have learned many lessons and will definitely apply them at the 2026 National Marathon Championship of Tien Phong Newspaper this year," Hoang Thi Ngoc Hoa said when returning to Vietnam.
Stepping out onto the track to compete as a professional track and field athlete for more than 10 years, Hoang Thi Ngoc Hoa's achievement capital is not small. She has repeatedly conquered the No. 1 position in the professional marathon - 42km women's event at the National Marathon Championship. In the international arena, Ngoc Hoa once won a Bronze medal at SEA Games 31 held in 2022 in Vietnam.
Even so, Ngoc Hoa always shows humility: "For me, learning is never closed. In every tournament I participate in, I try to improve my performance and to do this, you must learn from the guidance of the coach as well as learn from your own opponents.
A year ago, Ngoc Hoa surpassed direct pursuers such as Le Thi Tuyet, Nguyen Thi Thuy Van, Bui Thi Thu Ha, Pham Huynh Yen Thu... to win the professional women's marathon - 42km event at the National Marathon Championship 2025 held in Quang Tri.
After a year, Ngoc Hoa believes that no one can predict this year's results because the marathon performance - 42km women's professional event is included in the overall ranking of the X-2026 National Sports Games, so all athletes maintain their goals.
Learned a lot from teacher Bui Luong
Ngoc Hoa was discovered and selected for athletics training talent in her hometown of Binh Phuoc (now Dong Nai). The teacher who discovered the professional ability of this small student is Mr. Tran Doan Minh Thien. Mr. Thien is currently Ngoc Hoa's direct coach in the locality and the Vietnamese athletics team.
However, Ngoc Hoa once expressed that she had grown up thanks to the experience and guidance of late coach Bui Luong. At the time of accompanying and participating in athletics training for the Binh Phuoc team (old), late coach Bui Luong and the teachers of this unit built a long-distance running training program for Ngoc Hoa.
Each exercise is very valuable. Coach Bui Luong has important experiences and exercises for long-distance running competitions, so I study and accumulate those exercises to develop a lot in expertise. One thing I learned from the coach is that before each tournament, I must prepare the most physically," Ngoc Hoa said.
I remember in the evaluation of her student, the late coach Bui Luong once said: "Ngoc Hoa is one of the rare things that the Vietnamese women's marathon has. I see in her a very good focus on expertise and can reach a high level in Southeast Asia".
His prediction came true at the 31st SEA Games. At that time, Ngoc Hoa won a Bronze medal in the women's marathon - 42km event. At the finish line set in My Dinh National Stadium of the 31st SEA Games, coach Bui Luong was present very early to wait for the beautiful ending of his 2 students Hoang Nguyen Thanh, Hoang Thi Ngoc Hoa. And, Nguyen Thanh won a Gold Medal while Ngoc Hoa won a Bronze Medal right at the first time participating in the Southeast Asian Games held at home.
Don't want to miss the prestigious medal
In January 2024, Ngoc Hoa marked a career milestone when she achieved a time of 2 hours 44 minutes 52 seconds when participating in the 2024 Asian Marathon Championship held in Hong Kong (China). The result was recognized as the national marathon record - 42km women. Later, the record was surpassed by Nguyen Thi Oanh's time of 2 hours 39 minutes 49 seconds.
Even so, Ngoc Hoa is always proud when recalling that result. She once confided: "I didn't think I could surpass the national record. But when I got the result, I found that surpassing the record is really interesting.
Ngoc Hoa and her teammates from the Dong Nai Athletics Team arrived very early in Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa) before the 2026 National Marathon Championship of Tien Phong Newspaper. She is determined to achieve the highest results at this year's race.
She is being carefully prepared to find opportunities to conquer the racetrack, aiming to defend the number one position she currently holds. If reality achieves results, Ngoc Hoa will also have the opportunity to become one of the athletes to win the earliest medals at the X-2026 National Sports Games.
In December last year, Ngoc Hoa did not achieve the expected results on the women's marathon - 42km race at SEA Games 33 in Thailand. She was forced to retire when she could not guarantee the final professional result.
Up to this point, Ngoc Hoa still understands that it is a memory she does not want to mention again, but it is a very memorable experience. She once told herself that she does not want to create pressure herself, but surely when she has the opportunity, she will not miss conquering prestigious medals.
In terms of competition achievements in five consecutive National Marathon Championships organized by Tien Phong Newspaper (from 2020 to 2025), Ngoc Hoa has been in the leading group in the professional marathon - 42km women's event achievements. Coach Minh Thien assessed that Ngoc Hoa possesses her own advantages and surely he and the coaching staff are preparing tactics very carefully for her student.
On the morning of March 29, marathon athletics fans across the country will gather to watch the competition of the 2026 National Marathon Championship of Tien Phong Newspaper. At that time, Ngoc Hoa will be the one to decide her chances of winning a medal when competing directly on the track.
