Bristol student finishes life at Bristol University with ultra-marathon

Viet-Anh Tran cried "tears of joy" when he completed the 16-hour run

A student who found "a more positive way of living" through running has signed-off his time at university with an ultra-marathon.

Viet-Anh Tran, 22, from Romania, ran laps from Harbourside to Sea Mills Station via Bristol Portway, covering a distance of 62.2 miles (100.11km).

The University of Bristol student rarely exercised before he moved to the UK to study computer science.

"It started to really help my mental health, so I just kept going," he said.

He decided to take on the challenge after running a total of 2,000 miles (3,200 km) along the Bristol Portway during his three-year degree.

"Being in Bristol and running regularly has helped me find meaning and allowed me to love myself for who I am," said Mr Tran.

Viet-Anh Tran spent six months hitchhiking before starting university

The 22-year-old grew up in a Vietnamese expat family in Romania.

As the best Romanian speaker in his family, he often took on adult responsibilities - something that caused him "to grow up fast".

He attended secondary school in Romania, where he was predicted poor grades by his teachers.

As a result, he was rejected from every university he applied for and decided to spend six months hitchhiking from Amsterdam to Armenia.

To his surprise, when his results came through he had achieved top grades, and he successfully applied to the University of Bristol after hearing about it from fellow travellers in Turkey.

He said: "My first thought when I came to Bristol was everything is so beautiful."

Mr Tran said he was "proud of himself" after completing the run

Mr Tran said he endured some difficult years as a minority in Romania, leading him to "bottle-up emotions" but said he found a more positive way of living through "running and the help of others".

Ultra-marathons, or ultras, are running events beyond the standard marathon distance of 26.2 miles (42.1km).

"When I finished I was in disbelief and very proud of myself," Mr Tran said.

"I've made great friends here and this city has helped me become the best version of myself," he added.

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