Happiness: The 'Iron Man' Couple Runs Around the World

Ms. Hanh Nguyen and her husband - Mr. Le Chi Phuc are one of the rare couples in Vietnam to complete the Ironman 140.6 race (3.8km swim; 42km run; 180km bike ride).

Ms. Hanh and Mr. Phuc finished the Ironman 140.6 competition in Australia in 2024 - Photo: NVCC

The world of long-distance runners and triathletes is very familiar with the "Happy" couple in every race. Their story of love, passion for sports and success in life is an endless source of inspiration for the community.

Childhood love

Ms. Hanh and Mr. Phuc (born in 1979) have been friends since high school at Hanoi Amsterdam High School. During his school years, Mr. Phuc showed his love for sports by regularly participating in school sports teams such as triathlon and handball.

In college, Phuc also coached the handball team of the Hanoi University of Commerce. Meanwhile, Hanh studied at the National Economics University and also actively participated in physical activities.

After leaving university, Phuc went to Europe for 5 years to get a master’s degree in strategic management at Tilburg University (Netherlands) and an MBA (Greenwich University, UK). The distance did not make their love fade, but deepened.

After completing their studies abroad, their 12-year love affair ended with a happy wedding in 2004. Currently, Mr. Phuc is the general director of SGI Capital. Meanwhile, his wife, Ms. Hanh Nguyen, is a businesswoman.

Mr. Phuc said: "When I was studying in the Netherlands, I played soccer and tore my knee ligaments and had to have surgery. The doctor told me I could no longer play contact sports or run. So I switched to swimming.

Later, when I started working, my job was stressful and I sat a lot, and there was a time when I had a herniated disc and had to stay in bed for 5 days. At that time, my wife had to take care of me, and I had to do all my activities in bed. Being conscious of health and the value of life made me take exercise very seriously."

In Hanoi, Mr. Phuc often went swimming in rivers, lakes, and seas with the adventure swimmers club. In 2017, he and his wife started participating in long-distance running and many competitions.

Ms. Hanh shared: "I also like to exercise and participate in sports classes for women, but before the age of 40, I only exercised for fun. It was not until I turned 40 that I officially started exercising seriously."

Mr. Le Chi Phuc in the cycling competition of a triathlon race - Photo: NVCC

Sports bring value to life

Although both of them have very busy and stressful jobs, besides taking care of 3 children, Ms. Hanh and Mr. Phuc always try to arrange time to exercise. During the week, they usually have 2 swimming sessions and 2 cycling sessions.

Saturday mornings are the time for the couple to run long distances around Hoan Kiem Lake, about 3 hours. Sunday mornings are for long distance cycling, which can be up to 5-6 hours with a distance of more than 100km. During peak months to prepare for important tournaments, on average each week they practice from 12-14 hours.

Not only did the couple practice triathlons, their three children were also inspired by their parents and became amateur triathletes from a very young age. They even won awards for their age groups in competitions.

They shared that when they see their parents working hard and practicing sports with discipline, their children naturally want to follow suit. Sports not only give children health and discipline, but also endurance and the ability to overcome all challenges. If the children can do it on the track, they will not give up when facing difficulties in life.

Mr. Phuc and his daughter on a trail run - Photo: FBNV

Ms. Hanh shared: "2018 was the first year Phuc competed in Ironman 70.3 in Da Nang, he competed in the relay race and participated in the 1.9km sea swim. That same year, I participated in my first run in Sa Pa at a distance of 21km. The longest distance I have ever run is 70km at VUM (Mai Chau, Hoa Binh in 2024). I have completed 4 Ironman 70.3 competitions (1.9km swim, 21km run, 90km bike ride) in Vietnam and abroad, my husband has 5.

In December 2024, my husband and I participated in the first Ironman 140.6 (3.8km swim, 42km run, 180km bike) called "Ironman in Western Australia". We both finished together after more than 15 hours of torture. Sports are a part of my family's life, if possible we will pursue it for the rest of our lives.

Over the years, my family has traveled around the world and brought our workout gear with us wherever we went. Every business trip or vacation involved a running race or triathlon. If not, we would use our feet to run and explore every corner of the place we visited."

Mr. Phuc's financial investment job is extremely busy and stressful, but thanks to sports, he can balance his life. Mr. Phuc and Ms. Hanh are one of the rare couples in Vietnam who have successfully conquered the triathlon - one of the most fierce sports competitions in the world - Ironman 140.6 (often called "iron man").

The love, sports, and life values ​​that Mr. Phuc and Ms. Hanh pursue have strongly inspired the community.

Mr. Phuc, Ms. Hanh and their two children are all triathletes (swimming, cycling, running) - Photo: NVCC

"I often tell my children: when one day you swim longer than a normal person walks, run longer than a person riding a motorbike, and cycle more than a person driving a car, then your life will be very different. Hard training is an interesting and attractive part of the game.

Playing Ironman is a lifestyle, a trade-off. A trade-off of sleeping in bed every morning, a trade-off of time cuddling with your child, a trade-off of beauty... Sports is a journey, an interesting and valuable trade-off." (Ms. Hanh Nguyen) .

KHUONG XUAN

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/hanh-phuc-vo-chong-nguoi-sat-chay-khap-the-gian-20250615164335765.htm