On the morning of March 20, the Da Nang International Marathon 2026 officially opened at Bien Dong Park (An Hai ward), attracting thousands of domestic and international athletes to participate.
This year's competition includes distances: marathon 42 km, half marathon 21 km, 5 km and Ronny Dash race for children with distances of 500 m and 1.5 km. According to the plan, Sports Expo will be open from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM on March 21st; Ronny Dash race takes place from 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM on the same day.
The official competition day takes place on March 22, with a marathon distance of 42 km starting at 3 am, a 21km half marathon at 4:30 am and a 5km distance at 6 am.
Before the tournament, the organizers deployed a track tour program to support athletes to get acquainted with the competition terrain, and introduce the culture and typical tourism products of Da Nang.
This activity contributes to improving the overall experience, increasing the value of the event, and spreading the image of a dynamic and friendly city to domestic and international friends.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr. Tao Viet Hai - Deputy Director of Da Nang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism said that the tournament has been held annually since 2013 and continues to record impressive growth in both scale and quality, thereby gradually affirming its position as one of the typical sports and tourism events of Vietnam.
This year, the number of participating athletes increased by about 20% compared to the previous season; of which there are nearly 3,200 international athletes, an increase of 18% and reaching the highest level ever. Countries with the most participating athletes include Vietnam, South Korea, Japan, Philippines and Malaysia.
Besides the force of amateur athletes, this year's tournament gathers nearly 80 professional athletes competing in marathon and half marathon distances, with the participation of many typical faces of Vietnamese athletics such as Pham Thi Binh, Thai Thi Kim Ngan, Nguyen Thi Tra Giang and Trieu Thi Binh.
In addition, the tournament also has the participation of international athletes such as Saito Takuya, Ritsuro Adachi (Japan) and Richard Pfaller (Germany), promising to bring attractive and high-quality competitions.
In parallel with the main competition events, the Ronny Dash running race for children continues to be organized to encourage the formation of early physical training habits, thereby spreading a positive sports spirit in the community.
In the coming time, the organizers set a target to increase from 15% to 25% of the number of international athletes each year, aiming for the milestone of about 5,000 international athletes by 2028, thereby becoming one of the marathon races with the largest scale of international athletes in Vietnam.
Not only a sports event, the Da Nang International Marathon continues to promote the role of connecting sports with tourism, contributing to promoting local economic development.
