Nearly 11,000 athletes ran to start the new year on sleepless streets, through a series of famous landmarks and PR hunting, creating a vibrant running festival in Ho Chi Minh City at the beginning of the new year.
The first VnExpress Marathon Ho Chi Minh City Midnight took place on February 12 as the opening tournament for the 2023 series. In its first time in Ho Chi Minh City, the tournament left many impressions both in terms of organization and athlete achievements. Thousands of athletes had an emotional racing experience through the sleepless city night.
Explore Saigon at night
Athletes in colorful costumes standing all over Tao Dan Park, District 1 is one of the most impressive images of the first season. At exactly 0:00, the 42km athletes set off, starting their journey to conquer the spring tournament.
VnExpress Marathon Ho Chi Minh City Midnight 2023 has an impressive race course. Through each kilometer, runners can clearly feel the sparkle and vibrant life of Saigon at night. From Tao Dan Park - the "green lung" in the heart of District 1, runners pass through bustling central streets, blending modern and old features right from the first kilometers. Runners can admire many famous landmarks such as Notre Dame Cathedral, Independence Palace, Post Office, Opera House, Bach Dang Wharf, Nguyen Hue walking street, and People's Committee headquarters.
On race day, runners are treated to a lively urban "sound feast" from groups of young people gathering to sing, have fun on both sides of the street, and shops open all night.
The next kilometers on Vo Van Kiet Avenue, with markets and shops on one side and a green, winding canal on the other, give a feeling of everyday life and simplicity. People running under the trees when the pink trumpet flowers bloom, looking at the buildings reflected in the Tau Hu - Ben Nghe canal is an unforgettable experience.
The second half of the race is challenging but not too difficult. In particular, the 42km runners are the first to conquer two famous bridges across the Saigon River, Ba Son and Thu Thiem. From the bridge, thousands of runners can admire the sparkling city at night with skyscrapers - symbols of the modernity and growth of the largest economic center in the country.
Ms. Huong Giang, Thu Duc City, said that the VnExpress Marathon Ho Chi Minh City Midnight 2023 route was impressive and brought a different experience. Having lived in Ho Chi Minh City for more than 10 years, this was the first time she ran through the inner city streets after midnight. "Through the walking street, many people poured out on both sides of the street shouting and cheering. Through the Thu Thiem urban area, there was also a lion drum team. This is the first time I have seen such a bustling race," Ms. Giang said.
PR Hunting for New Year
"The Ho Chi Minh City night race is ideal for the beginning of spring, easy to get PR because the race course is flat, not many challenges" - this is the opinion of Mr. Kim Vivian, an expert from AIMS when measuring and certifying VnExpress Marathon Ho Chi City Midnight 2023. This became true when on a cool Saigon day, runners had a favorable race.
The 42km distance had more than 1,600 runners participating. 32 of them reached the sub3 mark (under 3 hours), most of them were amateurs. At that time, VM Ho Chi Minh City Midnight was the race with the most sub3 runners in the VnExpress Marathon system.
The athletes who achieved sub 3 are all familiar names in the Vietnamese amateur running community such as: Dang Anh Quyet, Vu Dinh Duan, Hoang Duc Huy, Le Van Tuan, To Tan Tai, Tran Tuan Vu, Truong Van Tam, Trinh Dinh An... Ha Thi Hau is the only representative for the women's category.
68 runners ran a full marathon in sub 3:30. In the half marathon with over 5,000 athletes participating, 34 people achieved sub 1:30. Thousands of runners also set new PRs in every time.
According to many athletes, the Ho Chi Minh City Night Run is the first event after the Lunar New Year, so the general mentality is to have good results to "start well and end well". In addition to the training efforts of the participants, the race also does a good job in supporting and dividing the flow with 6 one-way water stations, 9 two-way water stations with electrolytes, fruits, and filtered water. On average, less than 2km, athletes approach a support station. Hundreds of police officers, militia, youth volunteers and about 1,000 volunteers support to ensure safety, security and smooth operation of professional stages.
First foreign champion
VM Ho Chi Minh City Midnight started a wave of African athletes coming to compete in Vietnam. The most impressive of these was Ezekiel Omullo Kemboi, from Kenya.
The athlete from the marathon powerhouse came to Vietnam for the first time to compete. The time zone difference and weather could not stop Ezekiel's strong running. He finished first after 2 hours 30 minutes 03 minutes, more than 11 minutes ahead of the runner-up - SEA Games champion Hoang Nguyen Thanh.
Ezekiel's achievement set a new record for the full marathon distance in the VnExpress Marathon system. The previous record set by runner Trinh Quoc Luong at the VnExpress Marathon Hanoi Midnight was 2 hours 31 minutes 06 seconds. He also became the first foreign champion of the VnExpress Marathon.
"I didn't expect the atmosphere of this race to be so exciting. It's a night race, but the organizers have arranged water stations and volunteers everywhere. I think VnExpress Marathon Ho Chi Minh City Midnight will grow even stronger and I personally will recommend my friends to join the race next year," said the 42km champion.
Ezekiel's teammate at Dever Club, Marta Tinsae Birehan, could have won the women's title if she hadn't had an accident in the final kilometers. Marta led the women's race at a high speed. The foreign runner was Ha Thi Hau, who was chasing her at an average pace of 4:15. In the final kilometer, because she was not used to the weather in Ho Chi Minh City, Marta showed signs of cramps and stomach pain. Ha Hau broke away to win the championship with a time of 2 hours and 56 minutes. Marta accepted to give up even though she was very close to winning the championship.
In addition to foreign champions, the tournament also welcomes hundreds of foreign amateur runners living and working in Ho Chi Minh City, as well as tourists. Many people consider the tournament a unique experience when running along the most beautiful roads at night - something they dare not do during the day because of the dense motorbike traffic.
A series of interesting side experiences
Not only the experiences on the track, the first season also created its mark through a series of items and sideline activities.
The medal is the runner's favorite item. The medal is modeled after the arches of ancient French architecture in the heart of Saigon. In the middle is the image of the People's Committee headquarters - more than 110 years old, a symbol of the city. Constructions symbolizing the rise such as Bitexco, Landmark 81, Ba Son Bridge also appear on the publication. The main color is dark purple, making the overall medal look like a window looking out to the starry night sky.
The main color of the jersey is yellow, with black stripes evoking the image of Landmark 81 building and the rise of the city.
Another sideline activity was Kun Marathon. 2,000 children aged 6-10 joined in the exciting atmosphere of the children's race. In their first time in Ho Chi Minh City, the children raced together on a nearly 1km route, in front of the Zoo and Botanical Garden gate, with many obstacles. Interacting with the children was artist Truong Giang. He guided the warm-up, ran together, encouraged the children to overcome the challenges, and interacted and gave gifts after the event.
"The race was so much fun, amazing and filled with unprecedented experiences. Running is the easiest way to help children get into the habit of exercising," said Truong Giang, who believes that parents should create conditions for their children to play and exercise to develop both physically and mentally.
After a year, the second Ho Chi Minh City night race returns with the name VPBank VnExpress Marathon Ho Chi Minh City Midnight. The race takes place on March 3, with an expected participation of 11,000 athletes. This year, the race continues to maintain its brand-building features while continuing to innovate to create a new, safe, and professional experience for athletes.
Hoai Phuong
VPBank VnExpress Marathon Ho Chi Minh City Midnight 2024 opens registration from January 3. Runners who register to buy Bib early will receive a discount on price. Register to run here.
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