(QBĐT) - The launching ceremony of the campaign "All people exercise following the example of great Uncle Ho" and the Olympic Running Day for the health of all people in Quang Binh province in 2025 has left many strong impressions. From the running steps to the competitions on the track, it is a sports activity spreading the spirit of health training, connecting the community "Healthy to build - Healthy to build the country".

Exercise to get stronger

Early one morning in mid-March, hundreds of people gathered at Bao Ninh Sea Square (Dong Hoi City) to participate in the launching ceremony of the campaign "All people exercise following the example of great Uncle Ho" and the Olympic Running Day for the health of all people in Quang Binh province in 2025. This activity attracted the participation of many cadres, civil servants, public employees, armed forces, union members, and youth in the province.

This is a sports event to celebrate the anniversary of the day Uncle Ho wrote the article "Physical Education and Health" calling on people to exercise (March 27, 1946 - March 27, 2025), the 79th anniversary of the Traditional Day of the Vietnamese Physical Education and Sports Industry and towards the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification (April 30, 1975 - April 30, 2025).

Photo: Nguyen Thanh

Speaking at the launching ceremony, the representative of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism emphasized: Implementing Uncle Ho's teachings, along with the development of the whole country, Quang Binh sports have also strived to achieve many valuable achievements. The province's high-performance sports have many talented athletes who have achieved excellent results through regional, national and international competitions. Among them are the province's strong sports, such as: Swimming, diving, rowing, athletics, etc. Besides, the mass sports training movement has also developed widely throughout the province. The number of people practicing sports regularly and the number of sports households is increasing. These achievements have contributed to the province's sports position continuing to be affirmed in the region and the whole country.

The representative of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism called on: "All cadres, civil servants, public employees, armed forces and people in the province should regularly practice at least one sport to improve their health. "Healthy to build - Healthy to build the country".

The launching ceremony was not only held in Dong Hoi City but also simultaneously held in districts and towns... Thousands of people regardless of age, occupation or status, all with the same goal of improving health and spreading the spirit of sports participated in the launching ceremony.

Run for health

Immediately after the launching ceremony, all cadres and people in localities participated in the Olympic Running Day for the health of all people in 2025. The activity aims to promote the campaign "All people exercise following the example of great Uncle Ho", build the habit of regular physical exercise, improve physical fitness for everyone, build a healthy lifestyle and cultural environment.

When the starting whistle sounded, delegates and more than 1,500 people and armed forces in Dong Hoi City simultaneously started running on the Bao Ninh coastal road. The stream of runners created a bustling, colorful flow. Among them, there were enthusiastic young people, middle-aged and elderly people who loved sports and ran together to improve their health. Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Hoang in Dong Hai Ward (Dong Hoi City) shared: "Normally I still run in the morning but today the feeling is completely different. Being able to join the crowd and see everyone excited, I have more motivation to continue practicing."

In Quang Ninh district, this year’s Olympic Run Day is also combined with the campaign “Millions of Kind Steps – Continuing the Golden History” launched by the Vietnam Red Cross Society. The steps on the running track are not only a symbol of health but also a message of spreading kindness and helping the disadvantaged in society.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere of participating in this year’s Olympic Running Day in Tuyen Hoa District, Ba Don Town… was exciting, attracting a large number of people to participate. The united footsteps created a strong, united rhythm in the last days of March.

Compete on the track

When the group of people participating in the Olympic Running Day for the health of the whole people finished their journey, on the track, the athletes entered the cross-country race.

In Ba Don town, 58 athletes from communes, wards and schools competed in the 5km distance for men and 3km for women. Each strong step, each breakthrough on the track carried a high determination to test their perseverance and achieve the highest results.

Meanwhile, the 2025 Quang Binh Provincial Cross Country Race attracted more than 300 athletes from the province to compete. Favorable weather conditions and a picturesque running route added to the excitement of each athlete participating in the race. The starting signal sounded, and the athletes rushed forward. Their fast pace and each sprint on the long road created an exciting atmosphere... In the women's category, athletes Ngo Thi Nhan Thanh (34 years old); Le Thi Ninh (39 years old); Le Phuong (40 years old) excelled to win the top three positions. Notably, the perseverance, hard work and efforts of athlete Nguyen Thi Hien (51 years old) came in 4th place.

In the men's category, the race caused a surprise when Nguyen Hoang Minh Nhat (18 years old) "defeated" a series of older opponents, reaching the finish line first. The 12th grader unexpectedly accelerated at the finish line, surpassing veteran Tran Tuan Vu (43 years old) to win with a time of 35 minutes and 5 seconds. The following positions respectively belonged to Ho Quoc Thang (33 years old) who won third place; Nguyen Thanh Dao (38 years old) who won fourth place and Tran Van Tuan (40 years old) who finished fifth.

Along with the excellent athletes who competed and achieved surprising and impressive results, there were also inspirational and touching stories. For example, the couple Nguyen Manh Hung and Le Nhu Trang (in Quang Phu commune, Quang Trach district) participated in the tournament for the first time. Hung has been passionate about running for many years, while Trang is new to this sport. But they were determined to try their hand at the 10km distance in this tournament.

Ms. Trang shared: “Running 10km may be normal for others, but for me, it is a real challenge. On the run, there were times when I wanted to give up, but then I remembered the early mornings, the days when my legs were tired, the times when my heart was pounding... and it was the encouragement of my husband, who was running next to me, that helped me overcome myself”...

The launching ceremony of the campaign "All people practice physical training following the example of great Uncle Ho" and the Olympic Running Day for the health of all people in Quang Binh province has been maintained regularly in recent years. This is an activity to promote the movement of physical training among cadres, civil servants and people in the province, contributing to spreading the running movement among the masses for the goal: Physical training - Protecting the Fatherland; Physical training - Building the country; Fitness - Health!

Tan Binh