Marathon

Runners test routes of the Tây Hồ Half Marathon 2024 on March 17. The running will be held on April 14. Photos courtesy of VRace

HÀ NỘI — The fourth season of the Tây Hồ Half Marathon will be held on April 14, featuring more than 10,000 runners.

This is twice as many as last year, making it the largest ever half marathon Việt Nam. Among them, 6,000 have registered in the 21km category. Other distances will be 15km and 5km.

The routes pass through legendary landscapes with historical and cultural imprints such as Trấn Quốc Pagoda, Tây Hồ Palace, Quán Thánh Temple and old Đông Thái Village.

At a press briefing on March 27, head of the organising board Bùi Thị Lan Phương announced there were more awards than previous years with a view to stimulate determination and excitement.

In addition to the overall awards, there will have bonuses for winners of five age groups from under 30 to over 60.

Runners who set new records in the men's and women's 21km classes will receive special prizes up to VNĐ130 million (US$5,300) in cash and gifts.

The current records are 1hr 14.38 for men and 1:24.13 for women.

Organisers of the Tây Hồ Half Marathon 2024 at the press briefing on March 28 in Hà Nội.

“The larger scale of the Tây Hồ Half Marathon proves the correct direction of Tây Hồ District in developing community sports, improving the quality of life of people both physically and mentally," said Lan.

"Running has become a kind of festival that pro athletes, amateur runners and local people look forward to."

She said changes of the tournament this year were expected to bring runners new experiences and excitement on the route that they were familiar with.

A tournament for children is also held on April 13. More than 2,000 young runners will compete in three categories of 700m for four to six year olds; 1,500m for seven to 10 and 3,000m for 11-15.

The tournament is jointly held by the Tây Hồ District's People's Committee and Vũ Media under strong support of the BIM Group. VNS