Marathon 

The Tiền Phong Marathon is the only national championship where elite and amateur runners can race at the same time. Photo courtesy of Tiền Phong Marathon

QUẢNG TRỊ  There were no big surprises at the National Tiền Phong Marathon 2025, as Việt Nam's reigning running champions successfully defended their titles yesterday in Quảng Trị Province.

Hoàng Nguyên Thanh proved himself as the king of the long distance running category, finishing the elite men's 42km in 2hr 32.23min, after a strong sprint in the last four kilometres.

Meanwhile Hoàng Thị Ngọc Hoa also ran solo to the finish line, leaving all rivals behind two thirds of the way through the elite women's 42km, clocking 2.42:09.

Phạm Thị Hồng Lệ and Nguyễn Trung Cường, the former SEA Games 10,000m winner and reigning 3,000m steeplechase champion, also met no worthy rivals in their elite women's and elite men's 21km classes, respectively.

A national record was set by Đỗ Quốc Luật after he won the elite men's 10km race 11 times in a row, while Nguyễn Thị Oanh easily secured the elite women's 5km with a better time than last year.

Starting their race early in the morning, 31st SEA Games champion Thanh and five other runners broke away from the crowd and set up a leading group running around landmarks and historic sites in Đông Hà City.

As usual, Thanh, the national record holder, drafted behind other runners to reduce wind resistance and save energy in the first 38km before sprinting and separating from them in the last four kilometres to win the nation's most prestigious title. 

Hoàng Nguyên Thanh finishes first in the elite men's 42km category. -- Photo courtesy of Tiền Phong Marathon

Former SEA Games 10,000m and 5,000m champion Nguyễn Văn Lai tried his best to catch up with Thanh in the last 100 metres, but only came in second place, finishing 17 seconds later.

Mai Quý Phong passed last year's third-place winner Phạm Ngọc Phan to finish in the top three, with a time of 2.32:59.

"It is my emotional sixth win. It is not easy as my rivals are stronger, more experienced and there are some young talented ones too. So it is a victory for my family," said Thanh, who will welcome his first child later this year. 

Runners cosplay at the tournament. -- Photo courtesy of Tiền Phong Marathon

"The weather is a big challenge this year. It was cold, and then switched to heat during the day, but today it is raining, and many of us could not adapt immediately to the conditions.

"We were surprised and worried about achieving our goals. It is cool today, but the route is slippery and we could not run as fast as we wanted. However, I tried my best to show my ability and take the highest result for my team." 

Just as they did last year, Hoa and her arch-rival Lê Thị Tuyết created a dual race from the beginning.

But this year, Hoa was much stronger than in 2024. Hoa, who struggled to pass Tuyết in the last few metres last year, left her rival nearly 20km into the race to go solo to the finish line, setting her own personal record of 2.42:09. 

Hoàng Thị Ngọc Hoa about to cross the finish line of the elite women's 42km. -- Photo courtesy of Tiền Phong Marathon

Tuyết, the 32nd SEA Games bronze medallist, showed a poor performance in the last half of the race, finishing in the fifth position.

Her failure gave the chance to Nguyễn Thúy Vân (2.46:49) and Bùi Thị Thu Hà (2.48:49) to secure the silver and bronze medals.

The results of the marathon will be crucial for national coaches selecting their team members for international tournaments, including the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand in December.

General Secretary of the Việt Nam Athletics Federation Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng was in Quảng Trị for the event. He said the athletes' performance was not their best, and needed to be improved to take medals at the SEA Games.

“There are different reasons for their unexpected results. To take the SEA Games, the male runners will have to run under 2.18hr, while the females need to clock in at under 2.37hr," said Hùng.

“It is not too cold today, but it seems that the sudden change of weather prevents them from running fast. 

People find joy at the Tiền Phong tournament. - Photo courtesy of Tiền Phong Marathon

"In the coming SEA Games, Việt Nam will face tough rivals Thailand for the top place. The Thais not only have the advantage as the hosts, but also currently have better results. The Vietnamese coaching board will need better plans and tactics to ensure the highest results," he said. VNS