With 12,000 athletes participating, including more than 600 foreigners, this is the night race with the largest number of participants ever.
The competition took place in the early morning of February 23, athletes ran through famous landmarks of Ho Chi Minh City such as Tao Dan Park, Doc Lap Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, Ben Bach Dang... to explore the youthfulness and dynamism of District 1 or the new urban area of Thu Thiem before finishing at Le Duan Street, in front of the Zoo and Botanical Gardens.
In the marathon (42.195 km), Ethiopia athlete Wendwesen Damte finished first after 2 hours 32 minutes 34 seconds. From the start, Damte quickly accelerated and stayed away from the opponents. Following him were athletes Huynh Anh Khoi, Pheara Vann and Dang Anh Quyet.
In the women's marathon, famous athlete Pham Thi Hong Le completed the first finish. With the familiar "xiao xiao" strategy, speeding up in the final stage, Hong Le came first, surpassing the opponents behind, Nguyen Thi Ngoc Lan, Tran Thi Kim Kieu...
Pham Thi Hong Le, from Binh Dinh, is a famous long-distance runner in Vietnam. She won the gold medal at the 2022 SEA Games in Vietnam in the 10,000 m distance. She also won many silver and bronze medals at the No. 1 regional tournament. At the VnExpress Marathon system, Hong Le had 11 first prizes.
In the 21 km event, the first two athletes for men and women respectively belonged to Ly Nhan Tin and Le Thi Ha.
In the 5 km and 10 km women's events, the first prize went to foreign athletes premkamon Wongvichai (24 years old, Thailand) and Siena Milgate (16 years old, Australia). Meanwhile, in the men's category, Ly Toan Phat Di won the 5 km event, while Nguyen Van Loi won the 10 km distance.
VPBank's route VnExpress Marathon Ho Chi Minh City Midnight has been certified by the International Marathon Association (AIMS) to meet the competition length standards for all 4 distances. Athletes can use their achievements in the tournament as a qualifying document to register to participate in major marathons around the world such as Chicago, Tokyo, Boston, etc.
