Mother of four Van Trang wins Y Ty 42km and places 2nd overall: “I run with my legs, not with people’s mouths”

Amid the golden terraced fields of Y Ty, September 6, 2026 will be remembered by Vietnam’s trail running community for one special name: Van Trang, nicknamed Jang Doll. Born in 2026 and now living in Hanoi, she not only won the women’s 42km category at the Y Ty Mua Vang 2026 race, but also claimed second place overall. More remarkably, the mother of four finished behind only one male runner, leaving almost the entire men’s field far behind on one of the toughest courses of that weekend. Her time of 4 hours 26 minutes means even more when you look at the terrain. The 42km route has more than 1,300 meters of elevation gain and reaches the 2,860m summit of Lao Than Mountain. Steep slopes, slippery trails and thin mountain air constantly test every runner’s limits. Many competitors had to slow into a walk, stop to recover, or drop out altogether. In that context, a woman who has given birth four times taking first place among women and second overall is a genuine triumph. Speaking to reporters right after the award ceremony, Van Trang said: “The 42km course has sections where I nearly ran out of energy. At those moments I only focused on the trail ahead, kept my breathing steady, managed my strength and refueled at the right time. I kept telling myself: ‘Stay calm, as long as I still have energy, I still have a chance.’ This endurance comes from consistency and discipline. Besides running, I combine gym work, swimming and other supplementary exercises to build my physical strength day by day.” Her explanation captured the true nature of long trail running: performance is not a matter of luck, but of thousands of accumulated kilometers and the ability to listen to your body. Yet shortly after her achievement, the conversation was oddly shifted away from sport. Some running groups shared pictures of her in tight athletic wear, focusing on her natural bust and using crude words such as “carrying two grapefruits while running.” Instead of staying silent or deleting the posts, Van Trang hit back directly: “I really challenge anyone to carry two grapefruits while running 42km or 55km in the mountains! I run with my legs, not with my looks, so why are you putting me in these groups to gossip? Some people see pressure, I see it as ‘vitamin C’ for my mind. What matters is that I still crossed the finish line and I’m still happy and healthy. Judge all you want – I run with my own legs, not with other people’s mouths.” Her response quickly spread across sports forums. Many athletes, coaches and fans expressed strong support for Van Trang. They argued that a woman whose body does not fit the usual athletic mould still conquering a 42km course is proof of dedication, not an object for scrutiny. Her story once again exposed a long-standing prejudice in sports: people easily praise a woman when she can perform, but just as easily tear her down over one detail of her appearance. Van Trang openly asked the community to look at female athletes with more respect. “Women in sport deserve to be recognized first for their effort and results. Appearance is each person’s own story, but performance is the result of years of training. When you see a girl on the race course, I want people to see someone working hard to challenge her own limits,” she said. Many asked why she did not choose looser or more conservative clothes to avoid prying eyes. For Van Trang, doing so would go against her principles. “Sports clothing must first be comfortable and safe. If I change myself just to avoid being judged, then I will always end up living according to other people’s eyes. I choose to focus on the race and my own goals,” she insisted. This assertiveness turned her into a symbol of self-belief. For someone who has gone through several pregnancies, reaching the top podium at such a demanding race is not easy. Van Trang said sport helps her discover a stronger version of herself every day. She understands that a marathon, like life, is not always smooth. Some days the body refuses to obey, some moments test your faith to the limit, but she chooses to ignore malicious words and use her finish times to answer. She believes the value of a runner lies not in body measurements, but in the distance they have traveled. After her glory at Y Ty, Jang Doll’s journey is far from over. She confirmed plans to take on the VMM 70km ultra trail next, before setting her eyes on a 100km race at the end of the year. For her, each race is a new challenge, another chance to prove that nobody has the right to define a woman’s limits. “Let results speak. I don’t need to become the version others want to see. Becoming a little better than myself every day is enough,” she said at the end of the interview. The situation around Van Trang is not just about one athlete being body-shamed. It shows women’s sport in Vietnam is growing strongly while still facing countless prejudiced looks. This is why Van Trang’s victory carries a larger meaning: she is running for herself, for women who have been mocked, and for anyone seeking the courage to leave their comfort zone. Her story reminds us that gossip on social media can be loud, but the steady sound of footsteps on the trail is what truly writes legends. It’s time to change the way we look at female runners. If a mother of four can place second overall among hundreds of male runners at a brutal trail race in Lao Cai, the real question is not what she wore, but whether we have dared to challenge our own limits. Van Trang does not need an apology from those who once mocked her. She just needs more long-distance races to keep repeating what she has always said: run with your own legs, not with other people’s mouths.