Marathon

Phạm Thị Huệ crosses the finish line of the HCM City Night Run Thang Lơi Group on May 14. Photos of organisers

HÀ NỘI — Elite athletes Phạm Ngọc Phan and Phạm Thị Huệ won the half marathon categories of the second HCM City Night Run on May 14.

Phan finished first in the men's division in a time of 1hr 15.39min. He was followed by Lê Hữu Lộc (1:16.49) and Đặng Anh Quyết (1:17:34).

Meanwhile, Huệ took the top podium after a run of 1:23.31.

Đoàn Thị Hiền (1:31.19) came in second and Nguyễn Thị Minh Hiền (1:35.40) was third.

In the 10km category, Lý Nhân Tín (34.31min) and Bùi Thị Thu Hà (20.12) won the men's and women's titles, respectively.

In the 5km, Đào Minh Thiện (16.51) and Khuất Phương Anh (20.03), two members of the national teams, finished first.

The organisers delivered a total of 72 prizes of VNĐ1.5 billion (US$64,000) in cash and gifts that were awarded to high-ranking runners in the main races and sideline categories including Team Run, the Couple's Run and Cosplay.

More than 2,800 runners take part in the second edition of the HCM City Night Run Thang Lơi Group.

Designed as a running festival, more than 2,800 participants were given a chance to enjoy typical Vietnamese experiences and many activities during the two-day event.

Three routes led runners through HCM City's iconic landmarks and famous cultural sites under the cool night weather of the city, giving them amazing feelings of the urban night.

Competitors in the half marathon category ran in a route that linked HCM City's centre streets with new Thủ Đức City across the well-known bridges of Thủ Thiêm and Ba Son.

According to the organisers, under the theme of 'Light your Night', the marathon was not just a sport tournament. It was also a cultural event where athletes have the opportunity to discover and experience a different Sài Gòn at night. They also exchanged, connected and shared their experiences, bringing a memorable and emotional race to each other in the festive atmosphere.

The marathon is jointly organised by the HCM City People's Committee, the city's Athletics Federation and Unique Event & Media.

A runner in cosplay taking part in the HCM City Night Run.

It was one of the activities to celebrate late President Hồ Chí Minh's 133rd birth anniversary on May 19.

It was expected to encourage people to take part in sports and running in particular.

Through the marathon, organisers also wanted to introduce a dynamic and integrated HCM City to wider domestic and international visitors in an effort to boost local tourism. VNS