Bình Minh Long Run

The Chay365 Weekend Long Run was founded by Đinh Huỳnh Linh, Bình Minh’s husband. Its purpose was to create an open and welcoming space for everyone who shared a love for running. The run provided free water and electrolyte support, professional pacing teams, and photography team to capture the moments along the way. Held in the heart of Hanoi, the long run sought not only to elevate runners’ competitive performances—echoed in the hashtag #1000BQ (Boston Qualifiers)—but also to introduce participants to the pure, tranquil beauty of the city in the early morning hours.

Bình Minh had been involved in supporting this event since its very first days. By the end of 2025, the run had been held for 186 consecutive weeks.

After Bình Minh’s passing, her husband, together with the running community, named the event after her to honor her memory. That name, "Bình Minh Long Run", also carries the meaning of a run that welcomes the first rays of dawn—bình minh—each new morning.

"Hoan Kiem Lake holds countless memories for Minh and me. From a few dates in some distant past, to weekend afternoons taking our children to the pedestrian streets; lingering over bowls of rib congee, Trang Tien ice cream, or browsing bookstores on Dinh Le Street. Every year, on the last day of the Lunar year, we would come to the lake, immersed in the deep chill of late winter, breathing in the rare stillness of Hanoi. There were also Saturday nights when we “escaped” from the kids, wandering together to watch street performances — music, magic, and more.

Before the Long Run was officially numbered on a weekly basis starting in May 2022, there were already many early mornings when we came to the lake to run together. I might arrive first, since Minh never found it easy to wake up at 3:30 in the morning, but we always headed home together afterward, stopping for breakfast at our familiar places on Bao Khanh Street. I would head inside first to find us a table, while Minh wandered over to the lively corner market to buy some food, some vegetables, a bag of fruit, and a bunch of bananas. I usually kept to a very strict diet, but on weekend mornings like those, so unmistakably Hanoi, sitting in front of a steaming, fragrant bowl of Pho, I often allowed myself the simple pleasure of a few pieces of crispy fried dough.

I used to tell Minh that I wanted to keep organizing the Long Run for another 15–20 years, so that one day, when our children grow up, if they choose to run, they can come to the lake and know that dad founded this run. The Long Run is not only a cultural gathering point for people who love running; it is also a legacy left for our children. Now that Minh has gone far away, I will continue on this path. Thank you to everyone at Chay365 for loving Minh, for understanding, and for agreeing to attach the name Binh Minh to the run — so that she will always remain connected to this route, to this run, the run that welcomes the first rays of the morning sun: the Binh Minh Long Run."

Đinh Linh, January 2026