VnExpress Marathon Hue route praised for being beautiful and easy to promote

Runner rated the VnExpress Marathon Hue 2024 race course as the most beautiful in the organized seasons, flat and favorable for setting new personal records.

VnExpress Marathon Hue 2024 has completely renewed the race course, changing the starting and finishing points. This has been enjoyed by the runner community as it creates an attractive and new feature for the fourth season.

In particular, the change that the community highly appreciates is that the starting and finishing gates for all distances are located at the same point on Le Duan Street, between Quang Duc Gate and Phu Van Lau. This is the widest, greenest and most beautiful route in Hue city, with one side being the park along the Huong River, the other side being the citadel with many ancient buildings. The starting and finishing gates at the same point make it easier for runners to travel and book hotel rooms.

The 42km distance, starting from Le Duan Street, will have the first 5km journey to explore the Imperial City when running through the routes around this area such as Yet Kieu, Doan Thi Diem, Dinh Tien Hoang. Leaving the capital, runners will go up Truong Tien Bridge, running towards Dap Da Bridge - two places appearing in the poem "Rainy Sky in Hue" by Nguyen Binh. This is the first time VM Hue has passed through this area. The first season in 2020, the race ran towards Thien Mu Pagoda. In 2022, 2023, athletes passed through Tu Do Stadium area.

Dap Da is the road connecting Hue city center with Vy Da ward. From here, runners can see the shining Truong Tien bridge, on one side is Nhu Y river, in front is Hen islet, also known as Vy Da village. Following Le Duc Anh road, athletes will go to the suburbs, racing on Vo Van Kiet road with rice fields and new urban areas on both sides.

In the second half of the race, 8,000 runners turned back towards the city center, running on Le Loi Street, along the Huong River. Before reaching the finish line, athletes had to cross the Da Vien Bridge over the Huong River. Just down the slope of the bridge, runners turned right to head straight to the finish line. Many runners commented that the Da Vien Bridge at km 41 was a physical challenge, requiring careful preparation. After crossing the bridge, the finish line would be easier as about 1km was a straight, flat road with shaded trees.

The 42km race route was commented on as interesting by runners. Mr. Duc Nguyen, a runner living in Hue, said that the 8,000 runners would not be disappointed because the race course was as beautiful and poetic as a picture. The improvements and changes also made him more excited when the first kilometers passed through the imperial city instead of less prominent routes like Nguyen Van Linh. "Hue has a green, shady race course and ancient structures everywhere. The city has a romantic beauty that cannot be found anywhere else. Runners will certainly not be disappointed with this race course," Mr. Duc commented.

Runners running on Da Vien bridge at VM Hue 2023. Photo: VM

The 21km distance with 80% of the route going through the inner city is considered by runners to be the most beautiful race course. The entire route is similar to 42km but shortens the section on Vo Van Kiet Street on the outskirts. Therefore, participants can almost enjoy the green sections.

In the 10km distance, runners will conquer two bridges, Truong Tien and Da Vien, and explore Hue Citadel. The 5km is the only distance that does not cross the bridges on the Huong River. The 5km route is considered simple, gentle, and suitable for first-time runners who want to explore the ancient beauty of Hue Citadel.

Along with the new route, VnExpress Marathon Hue upgraded the facilities to serve runners. Along the race course is a system of 21 water stations with filtered water, electrolytes, bananas, watermelons, ice, etc. The distance between each station is from 1.5 - 2.5km. 51 doctors and nurses from the Thua Thien - Hue 115 Emergency Center will ensure the health safety of runners when they are placed in 10 fixed medical stations and 6 mobile stations. Each station is equipped with medical supplies that meet the standards of a first aid room and an outpatient emergency room.

VnExpress Marathon Hue will be held on April 21, with a scale of 8,000 athletes. The race will be measured and certified by the Vietnam Athletics Federation for meeting the standards for the race. Runners who complete the race will receive a medal with a royal design. The VM Hue 2024 medal is considered one of the most beautiful publications of the VnExpress Marathon system in recent times.

Hoai Phuong

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