British teacher wins 5km night race in Ho Chi Minh City

Fushia Emily Clayton took 20 minutes and 41 seconds to be the fastest person in the 5km distance of VPBank VnExpress Marathon Ho Chi Minh City Midnight, morning of March 3.

The 2024 Ho Chi Minh City Night Run saw many new names, winning the 5km and 10km distances for the first time. The most impressive was Fushia Emily Clayton (a teacher of British origin). She was the champion of the 5km event with a time of 20 minutes and 41 seconds. Last year, Clayton finished 3rd in the same distance.

Fushia Emily Clayton won the women's 5km. Photo: VM

Sharing after knowing she was the winner, Clayton could not hide her joy because VPBank VnExpress Marathon Ho Chi Minh City Midnight 2024 was the second night race in Clayton's life. She was happy to continuously achieve good results in short distances.

Clayton has been working in Vietnam for more than two years and has quickly adapted to the climate. She commented that this year's night race was professional, with a wide range of items, attracting many athletes and amateur runners. In the near future, she plans to participate in races in other cities.

Phat Di continuously led from the first kilometer in the shortest distance race. Photo: Duc Dong — Phat Di continuously led until the finish line. Photo: *Duc Dong*

The men's 5km champion was Ly Toan Phat Di, 21 years old, majoring in athletics, Ho Chi Minh City University of Physical Education and Sports, with a time of 17 minutes and 5 seconds. This was the first time the Dong Nai-born student had registered for a race in the VnExpress Marathon system. Although he could not surpass his previous personal record (16 minutes and 30 seconds), he was still satisfied with his first place finish.

"This is also the first time I've run at night, I feel my heart rate increase and get hotter. Racing at this time has many advantages such as beautiful scenery, cool weather, and doesn't require too much energy, but it's hard for me to show off my personal technique," Phat Di explained.

Ly Toan Phat Di's path to sports encountered many obstacles. As a child, Phat Di loved football but stopped early due to frequent injuries. Then, he switched to traditional martial arts, but could not find his passion. At the age of 11, Di started running, and in high school, he participated in the national athletics competition for students. In 2020, Di won his first gold medal and met many people with similar interests.

Nguyen Dang Khoa celebrates winning the men's 10km championship at the race on the morning of May 3. Photo: Duc Dong — Nguyen Dang Khoa celebrates winning the men's 10km championship at the race on the morning of March 3. Photo: *Duc Dong*

In the 10km race, Nguyen Dang Khoa (36 years old) also finished after more than half an hour of the race starting, with a time of 33 minutes and 53 seconds. He spent 5 minutes walking around, stretching, and shaking hands with other athletes. Khoa said he was happy because he was able to overcome many strong opponents, completing his goal while watching the city sparkle at night.

The runner who is competing for Binh Duong Running Club revealed that in the first 5km, he kept his energy but still chased the two leading athletes, Lai Terence and Van Loi. From the Ba Son bridge and Thu Thiem bridge slope, he decided to accelerate, maintaining a speed of 3 minutes 23 seconds per km, leaving the remaining runners far behind. As soon as he reached the finish line, Dang Khoa performed a salute to celebrate.

Last year, Nguyen Dang Khoa won the 21km distance at the Ho Chi Minh City night race and finished first in the team event at the Aquaman Vietnam biathlon.

VPBank VnExpress Marathon Ho Chi Minh City Midnight 2024 welcomes 11,000 athletes, including nearly 600 international runners. The 10km distance starts at 0:00 on March 3; the 5km starts at 0:30; the 42km at 1:00 and the 21km at 2:30. All distances start from Truong Dinh Street, right at Tao Dan Park and finish on Le Duan Street, in front of the Zoo and Botanical Garden gate.

To help runners have the best racing experience, the racetrack has 18 water stations, 11 mobile and fixed medical stations, and 10 restrooms. Many dimly lit sections in Thu Thiem are lit up by the organizers with 100 electric motorbikes from Xanh SM.

VPBank VnExpress Marathon Ho Chi Minh City Midnight marks two prestigious and experienced names in organizing and operating major running systems: VPBank and VnExpress Marathon. Previously, the two sides signed a strategic cooperation agreement to accompany the Ho Chi Minh City night race for 5 years from 2024 - 2028. In October 2023, VPBank and VnExpress successfully coordinated to organize the VPBank Hanoi International Marathon in Hanoi.

Thi Nguyen