“In addition to the excitement when conquering the mountains with these beautiful trails and exploring the beauty of villages and people in Moc Chau, I’m very proud to be one of the Smile Warriors to help Operation Smile Vietnam raising funds to restore smiles and bring new life children born with facial deformities. The initiative from Topas and Operation Smile has strengthened my belief in how sport could not only connect people but also, change the children’s lives and our life as well ” – said Ms. Huong Thao (Thao Ben) – from TimesRunners Club – one of 104 Runners who participated in the race to support the organization.
Operation Smile Ambassador – Travel blogger Trần Đặng Đăng Khoa who spent a 1,111-day journey around the world by motorbike tried his first 42km trail marathon for the first time. He said that during this 10-hour journey in the scorching heat, he eventually understood that beauty was not only what you saw but also what came from the special connections between nature and humans.
Sports Ambassador of Operation Smile Vietnam – Nguyễn Thanh Lâm – Enduros who has successfully conquered many ultra-marathon races, finished his 70km in 12h53’ in the heat of 40 degree Celsius shared: “Children’s smiles, their opportunities to live a normal life and go to school are one of the great sources of motivation for Smile Warriors like me to complete our mission on the trail.”
Up to May 10, Smile Runners of VTM 2021 and Topas Travel Vietnam and our Smile Runners have donated VND374,707,716 to surgical funds of Operation Smile Vietnam which will help bring free and life-changing surgeries to 37 children in need.
On behalf of the children and their families, we THANK Topas Travel Vietnam, Vietnam Trail Marathon, and hundreds of VTM 2021 Smile Runners for their generous support to deliver the message “Sports change lives” and bring more bright smiles, new lives to the world.
Discover more stories from the VTM 2021’s Smile Warriors!
