Born and raised in Brussels, Khang comes from a family of Vietnamese war refugees welcomed into Belgium in the late seventies. He’s taking on the London Marathon in memory of his mum, who sadly passed away from lung cancer in 2022.
“Having Vietnamese heritage and growing up in a diverse city in the heart of Europe, I was exposed to many different cultures from a young age. This made me curious about the world and gave me the urge to travel, explore its natural wonders, and connect with its inhabitants.
“My hobbies include travelling, photography, playing badminton, reading, and attending gigs and live shows (theatre, musicals, comedy). There are also other activities I love and wish I had more time to improve, such as playing an instrument, singing, and dancing—basically anything involving music!
Deciding to take on the London Marathon
“My mum was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer at the start of the COVID pandemic in March 2020. When I first heard the news, it felt like my whole world had collapsed. My younger brother and I were both living in London at the time, but we were fortunate to have flexible jobs that allowed us to move back to Brussels to be with her.
“Although I am grateful to have been able to go back home and spend a great amount of quality time with my mum throughout her two-year battle, seeing her suffer and having to say goodbye to her too soon was heartbreaking and by far the hardest challenge I have had to face in my life.
“She was the kindest and most loving mother I could have wished for, and she remains my biggest role model and greatest source of inspiration. Not a single day goes by when I do not think about her and miss her.
“After watching a friend run the 2023 London Marathon and hearing my fiancée’s grandad share his own fundraising stories from the race, I felt inspired to take part: to run for my mum and raise funds and awareness for a cause that’s deeply meaningful to me. Choosing Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation as my charity felt like a natural decision.
“I’ve also recently been offered a place on the ASICS FrontRunner UK team, which I’m incredibly grateful for. It has given me a great platform to share my grieving and running journey, my London Marathon story, advocate for a sound mind in a sound body through movement and raise awareness for causes close to my heart—especially the fight against lung cancer.
“The London Marathon is actually the very first race I ever signed up for. It motivated me to enter other races as part of my preparation, including the Oxford Half on 13 October 2024 and the Paris Half Marathon on 9 March 2025.
Training for the big day
“Training has been challenging but, overall, really fun. When I was younger, I never enjoyed running—I saw it as more of a necessary chore during badminton training. But just over a year ago, I started running regularly to rebuild healthy habits after years of little exercise, and surprisingly, it has become one of my favourite parts of the day.
“In the past year, running has been therapeutic for me and a great way to cope with the grief of losing my mum. What began as a way to clear my mind has grown into a journey of healing, resilience, growth and hope. Seeing my progress, both physically and mentally, over the past few months has been very rewarding.
“My first goal is simply to finish the marathon. Ideally, if everything goes according to plan, I’d love to complete it in under 3 hours 30 minutes. But as a newbie runner, there are still many unknowns, so we’ll see!
Looking ahead
“I am most looking forward to experiencing the electric and supportive atmosphere along the London Marathon course. I would not say I am particularly worried about anything but I do hope my training stays on track and I get to enjoy race day injury-free!
“I want the money I raise to help bring forward the day when lung cancer, and all other cancers, are curable. My donation may be small, but I hope my story inspires others to contribute or take action.
“Raising money for Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation can be, I believe, truly impactful in helping them campaign at a governmental level to increase research funding for more effective treatments and for improving the quality of life for those patients with cancer.”Check out Khang’s London Marathon fundraiser here. You can also catch him and his running updates over on Instagram.