About 11,000 runners, including 3,000 foreigners, will join in the VPBank VnExpress Marathon HCM City Midnight set to be held in HCM City on March 3.

HCM CITY – About 11,000 runners, including 3,000 foreigners, will join in the VPBank VnExpress Marathon HCM City Midnight set to be held in HCM City on March 3.

Kicking off in the early morning, the marathon will start on Trương Định Street, and pass through Tao Đàn Park, one of the city's iconic landmarks.

Runners will compete along the route, visiting famous landmarks such as Independence Palace, Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica of Sài Gòn and Bạch Đằng Wharf, exploring the youthful and vibrant atmosphere of District 1 and the new urban area Thủ Thiêm before crossing the finish line at Lê Duẩn Street, just before the Sài Gòn Zoo and Botanical Gardens.

Organisers said that this would be the first marathon to ensure proper lighting conditions for runners along the entire course.

This is a testament to the organising committee's efforts to ensure safety and provide a unique nighttime running experience for every step taken by the runners as they explore a different side of the city at night, organisers said.

The route of the marathon has been certified by the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS) as meeting the standard requirements in terms of race distances for all four categories - 5km, 10km, 21km and 42km.

Therefore, runners participating in the event will be able to use their results as part of the criteria for registering in the world's biggest marathons such as those in Chicago, Tokyo, Boston, and others.

The VPBank VnExpress Marathon HCM City Midnight 2024 kicks off the VnExpress Marathon series for 2024, featuring eight races spanning across different regions. VnExpress Marathon will send the results of participants competing in the 42km distance this year to Abbott World Marathon Majors Wanda.

The results will be aggregated with runners worldwide in the Abbott WMM Wanda Age Group World Rankings.

Participants who meet the criteria in their respective age groups will receive invitations to compete in the 2025 World Championships. Performance will be based on the fastest time recorded in a VnExpress Marathon event.

Runners participating in the marathon will be given a race kit before the race and receive a medal when completing the race legally. Runners of 21km and 42km distances will receive finisher shirts.

The male and female winners of the 42km race at VnExpress Marathon will receive the biggest prize, with a total value of VNĐ48.7 million (US$2,000). The prize includes VNĐ25 million ($1,000), along with a Garmin watch and discount vouchers from the Nike brand. It is an attractive and valuable reward for the glory of winning the race.

VnExpress Marathon is the largest running event series in Việt Nam, operated and owned by VnExpress online newspaper, and FPT Online Joint Stock Company.

The event was first organised in 2019 in Quy Nhơn City of south central Bình Định Province. Since then, it has evolved into an annual series of running events held in attractive tourist cities.

The marathons contribute significantly to the local economy, generating tens of billions of Vietnamese đồng in revenue for each event. Participation by tens of thousands of athletes, along with their friends and family, adds vibrancy to each location. – VNS