Đặng Anh Quyết celebrates winning the Hạ Long Bay Heritage Marathon. — Photo courtesy of organisers

Marathon

By Thanh Nga

HẠ LONG — Đặng Anh Quyết and Thái Thị Hồng were winners of the Hạ Long Bay Heritage Marathon 2022 on Sunday in Quảng Ninh Province.

Quyết from HCM City beat strong competition to finish first in the men's 42km category with a time of 2:45.48, followed by Trịnh Đình An and Đỗ Văn Hoàng, who completed the race with a time of 2:46.31 and 2:46:45, respectively.

"This is the first time I have participated in this tournament, and I won first place. I am very happy, the road was great, the scenery on both sides was very poetic," Quyết told Việt Nam News.

"I had no difficulties on the track because the route was wonderful. The event's organising board arranged the route carefully, so it was very convenient and safe for the athletes to run this event.

"The organisers also did a good job of logistics such as medical care and water refuelling, so the athletes were completely free to run," Quyết added.

On the women's side, Hanoian Hồng took the title after clocking a time of 3:21.13. Second place went to Hoàng Thị Hồng Uyên with a time of 3:27.45, and Nguyễn Thị Trà Giang took third place with 3:30.45.

Hồng said: "I am very happy that I won this distance. I was quite lucky to win the championship.

"I participated in many tournaments and was fortunate to win many prizes in the 42km category. To gain this result, I trained very hard. Every day I run 10km, and on weekends I run 21km to practice speed, maintain endurance and avoid injuries.

"I like this event because Hạ Long is very beautiful, the running track is also very beautiful, and the seafood is delicious. I will definitely join again next year."

The event saw a French runner Alice Holmes winning sixth place in the women's 42km with a time of 3:45.00.

French runner Alice Holmes. — VNS Photo Thanh Nga

"I am very happy to have finished it. It has been my sixth marathon. This event was particularly beautiful with very good landscape and good weather," the 38-year-old said.

"I chose this event because it's a world heritage marathon. In the next few years, the Hạ Long Bay Heritage Marathon will become very big because the road is wide and the race is relatively flat. So it makes runners have a good speed. And also, I saw a lot of female winners, which is also good to have in a competition," Holmes added. To prepare for the Hạ Long event, the mother of three trains every day.

Runners at the Hạ Long Bay Heritage Marathon. — Photo courtesy of organisers

In the men's 21km, the winner belonged to Vương Xuân Hồng Quang with a time of 1:20.04. The second and third place went to Hà Văn Được and Nguyễn Phương Quang, respectively.

Nguyễn Thị Lụa triumphed in the women's side with a time of 1:38.39, followed by Nguyễn Thị Thanh Xuân and Nguyễn Thị Ngọc An.

In addition, the organising board also awarded winners in the 10km and 5km events.

Nguyễn Thanh Tùng, deputy director of the Department of Culture and Sports of Quảng Ninh Province, said with professional preparation, ideal weather and the natural conditions of Hạ Long, the tournament was successfully held, bringing athletes many beautiful experiences with unforgettable moments of the natural landscape of Hạ Long Bay.

The event attracted 1,200 foreign runners. — Photo courtesy of organisers

This year's event featured 6,000 athletes, including 1,200 international participants from 42 countries and territories.

Runners also brought family and friends to enjoy happy weekends together, mixing the love of sports with the love of couples and family. That is why the couple Vũ Quang and Minh Nguyệt from Hà Nội decided to walk together at the event to celebrate their 23rd wedding anniversary.

Vũ Quang and Minh Nguyệt complete in the Hạ Long Bay Heritage Marathon to celebrate their 23rd wedding anniversary. — Photo courtesy of organisers

The event is the first race in Hạ Long to be listed on the international marathon map. Moreover, it was voted in 2018 by the famous magazine Runner's World UK as one of the 50 greatest races on earth, standing among "breathtaking and downright awesome races outside the UK".

It is the seventh marathon organised by the Department of Culture and Sports of Quảng Ninh in collaboration with the Hạ Long municipal People's Committee, the Việt Nam Athletics Federation and DHA. VNS

Runners prepare to start the Hạ Long Bay Heritage Marathon. — Photo courtesy of organisers