Marathon 

Nguyễn Văn Lai to cross the finish line to win the VnExpress Marathon Hà Nội Midnight 2024 title. Photos of VM

HÀ NỘI — Nguyễn Văn Lai and Phạm Thị Hồng Lệ defended their top positions at the fourth VnExpress Marathon Hà Nội Midnight, experiencing the capital city's beauty and landmarks by night.

As one of the favourites for the title, former SEA Games champion Lai proved his ability from the beginning, breaking away from the whole crowd to run solo on the route.

His arch-rival, Kiptoo Edwin from Kenya, who has dominated most of the Vietnamese competitions he has participated in, fell behind, as it was his first time running in a tournament that started at midnight.

The more he ran, the wider the gap became between Lai and his other rivals, and he crossed the finish line in 2:24.33, a record for the VnExpress marathon series.

"Prior to the race, I couldn't think about running as fast as Kiptoo, a strong international marathoner," said Lai after winning.

"But it was different today. Everything from the weather conditions, my tactics and my performance were good. It is a special win for me and also for Việt Nam athletics," said Lai, who had faced Kiptoo many times but had yet to win against him.

The Kenyan came second after nearly 12 minutes at 2:36.54, followed by Vietnamese Huỳnh Anh Khôi at 2:37.19.

On the women's side, former SEA Games winner Lệ met no challenge to win her title, marking the 10th time she topped the VnExpress marathon series. 

Lệ completed the race in 2:57.49, while Nông Thị Chang (2:59.26) and Lê Minh Tuân (3:02.41), two strong amateur runners, came second and third, respectively.

The winner of the women's 21km was Doãn Thị Oanh with a time of 1 hour 21 minutes , her third win of the year. The physical fitness teacher previously triumphed at the HCM City Midnight Marathon in March and the Hạ Long Bay Heritage Marathon last week.

National team runner Trịnh Quốc Lượng overcame strong rivals in the men's category to take the title in a time of 1 hour 11 minutes.

The winners of the 10km categories were Sầm Văn Đời (33 minutes 47 seconds) on the men's side and Hoàng Thị Ngọc Anh (39 minutes 56 seconds) on the women's.

Ngô Lương Quang won the men's 5km race and Bùi Thị Ngân took the women's 5km race. 

About 10,000 athletes competed in the tournament's four distance categories, with a big prize of VNĐ1 billion (US$39,300) awarded to high-ranking runners.

Speaking at the event, Phạm Xuân Tài, deputy director of the city's Culture and Sports Department, said: "The night run creates a positive impact on sports, culture, society and tourism. I believe that it also brings unique experiences to runners, especially because of the time it is held. 

Runners at the start line of the VnExpress Marathon Hà Nội Midnight 2024.

"They can enjoy many interesting moments and atmosphere when running past famous landscapes and historical buildings splendidly decorated at night. Along the racetrack, they also feel the cool air of the late autumn and early winter weather, and they can see peaceful and ancient areas mixed with modern and vibrant ones. All of this creates a different and attractive race."

He added that tournaments like VnExpress Marathon Hà Nội Midnight have great appeal, attracting many top athletes, domestic and international tourists, helping with consumption and tourism and the economic development of the city. It also helps form a culture of healthy living, solidarity and love in the community. VNS