Marathon

Phạm Thị Hồng Lệ of Việt Nam crosses the finish line of the women's 42km category in the Angkor Wat Indochine Marathon powered by Metfone on December 22 in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Photos of Vietcontent

SIEM REAP — Vietnamese runners dominated the Angkor Wat Indochine Marathon powered by Metfone on December 22 in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

The race was the first ever of its kind held in the Indochina region, with marathoners tackling courses across the three countries of Laos, Việt Nam, and Cambodia.

The Siem Reap leg, attracting about 9,000 participants, was the final race of the tournament, with track routes designed to include the UNESCO world heritage Angkor Wat site.

Former SEA Games champions Nguyễn Văn Lai and Phạm Thị Hồng Lệ had no difficulty winning the elite men's and women's full marathon categories, respectively.

Lai completed his run in a time of 2hr 20.54min, setting a new personal best. The time also made him the national fastest marathoner in history, placing him behind national champion and record holder Hoàng Nguyên Thanh who ran 2:18.43 in the Asian championship in January.

Vietnamese Nguyễn Văn Lai wins and earns his marathon PB at the Angkor Wat Indochine Marathon powered by Metfone on December 22 in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

He was followed by Pheara Vann of the hosts, 2:31.09, and Kento Kabashima of Japan, 2:33.33.

Although he was pleased with the result, Lai said he believed that he could have done even better with such nice weather and running the most beautiful route ever in his career.

He added that if there had been more runners of the same competitive level as his, he could have shaved a minute off his time.

Later, Lệ and her country fellow Bùi Thị Thu Hà made up a thrilling race in the women's class.

They ran side by side for most of the course before Lệ put in a sprint to finish first in a time of 2:49.14, with Hà coming in second about a minute later.

Inthakoumman Lodkeo, a Lao national team runner, was third, clocking in at 2:53.31.

In the half marathon categories, SEA Games 3,000m steeplechase champion Nguyễn Trung Cường topped the men's podium in a time of 1:10.57, while multi-time SEA Games winner Nguyễn Thị Oanh secured the women's title after 1:21.15.

Organisers also presented awards to winners of the 10km and 5km events.

“Viettel Marathon Series 2024 is part of activities aimed at celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Military Industry and Telecoms Group -- Viettel -- in coordination with the athletics federation of Việt Nam, Cambodia, and Laos under the supervision of the Asian Athletics Federation," said Cao Mạnh Đức, CEO of Metfone, member of Viettel Group in Cambodia.

"Three stages of the Viettel Marathon in the first year of organisation were a great success, attracting nearly 25,000 athletes from many countries and territories around the world discovering three famous localities of Luang Prabang, Hà Nội and Angkor Wat.

“The tournament wrapped up with impressive achievement. In addition to the high results of runners, the run helped spread the passion for sports and enhance the understanding between athletes from all over the world. We are proud that Viettel Marathon also tightened the relationship between the three neighbouring countries Việt Nam, Laos, and Cambodia."

All three legs' routes of the marathon series were licensed by the Asian Athletics Federation and organisers delivered a total of US$150,000 in prizes to high-ranking runners. VNS