Runners experience the running track at Bà Đen Mountain Marathon 2023. Photo courtesy of the organising board

Marathon

TÂY NINH — Around 7,000 runners will take part in the Bà Đen Mountain Marathon in Tây Ninh Province on April 22-23.

Participants will compete in four distances of 5km, 10km, 21km and 42km in the event with the message "Legendary run".

The event was first introduced in the 2021 season, however, it was not held last year due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This year's second edition promises to continue to be a sports and tourism festival of the province.

The event has a very beautiful running track.

Runners will run through the areas around Bà Đen Mountain and the most beautiful places in Tây Ninh. The competition route connects the suburbs and the city, allowing athletes to immerse themselves in nature, away from crowded areas.

Bà Đen Mountain is known as the "roof of the south" with an altitude of 986m. The area at the foot of the mountain will be the starting and finishing points of all distances.

"I have participated in many running races, and I have also conquered Bà Đen Mountain more than 50 times, but I still like the route of this year’s event,” said Đỗ Trọng Nhơn, a runner selected to be the ambassador of the tournament in 2021.

“The race track of the tournament goes through many terrains with diverse scenery, especially the end point of the race is at Bà Đen Mountain, which is also a great time for everyone to be able to admire the sunrise covering the entire majestic and sacred mountain scenery. For an athlete like me, the track at Bà Đen Mountain with suitable slopes is also an ideal place to train for other events.”

This year, athletes will be able to admire a new category that was not available in 2021: a Buddha statue on the top of Bà Đen Mountain. In 2021, the statue was not completed.

Another special feature for runners competing in the 42km and 21km is that the track will go through Núi Đá Lake of Ma Thiên Lãnh Valley. This is a tourist destination that is still very unspoiled in Tây Ninh. Núi Đá Lake is famous for its jade-like clear blue water and surrounded by majestic cliffs on all sides.

In addition, the 42km track continues to take athletes through the Tây Ninh Holy See, a sacred symbol of the Cao Đài religion, a must-visit landmark when coming to Tây Ninh. VNS