Hanoi ready for Vietnam's biggest half marathon

Athletes celebrate at the finish line of the 2024 Tay Ho half marathon.

Tay Ho Half Marathon 2025 is scheduled to start from April 11 to April 13, organized by Tay Ho District People's Committee and a number of related units, attracting the attention of more than 12,000 runners nationwide. This is an unprecedented number for a half marathon in Vietnam up to this point.

Before the race, the running community had many concerns surrounding the organization. The notable point of this year's race was that the 21.0975 km race would start at 3am. Many athletes were worried that running in the dark could lead to accidents and injuries.

Sharing at the press conference to launch the race on the morning of April 3, Mr. Vu Van Phong, representative of the organizing committee, said: "When drawing the race map, we studied the starting time of the 21.0975 km distance. For athletes, lighting is very important. Tay Ho District People's Committee has invested in infrastructure, facilities, and repaired roads that lack light. We also added rechargeable bulbs, 1 bulb every 20 m on each dark road section."

He continued: "In the past few days, we have been checking the roads and taking note of all the potholes that are dangerous for athletes and have implemented plans to patch and clean the entire road. We have anticipated the problems and prepared all the plans to ensure the professional quality of the race."

In previous seasons, Tay Ho Half Marathon had a situation where runners obstructed traffic, affecting not only the local people but also the professional quality of the race. This is expected not to happen again this year.

"From 2025, Hanoi has stipulated that all races must end before 8am to return the road surface to the people. Tay Ho Race is one of the most crowded races in Vietnam today, we need to have reasonable arrangements so that groups of athletes do not jostle and conflict with each other. With about 6,000 athletes running the half marathon, we have to arrange for this group to run early," Mr. Phong shared.

In response to questions about athletes having to run through polluted, smelly roads, the organizers' representative affirmed that this year's race ensures hygiene, overcoming the limitations of previous seasons.

"We also learned from each other about the situation of street lights automatically turning off as well as proactively cleaning the area around the track to ensure the best environment for athletes to compete," said Ms. Bui Thi Lan Phuong, Vice Chairwoman of Tay Ho District People's Committee, the tournament organizer.

Over the past 5 years, Tay Ho half marathon has not only been a prestigious race but also a part of Hanoi's sports history. The race route passes through heritage sites such as Quan Thanh Temple, Tran Quoc Pagoda, Tay Ho Palace, Nhat Tan peach village, where every step touches the stories of the thousand-year-old Thang Long.

This year, the race’s unique medal will be shaped like a flower with five brilliant petals, symbolizing Tay Ho 5 seasons - Tay Ho 5 seasons of flowers. The race is expected to spread the beauty of the capital as well as connect, inspire and spread the spirit of sports to tens of thousands of people.

Source: https://znews.vn/ha-noi-san-sang-cho-giai-half-marathon-lon-nhat-viet-nam-post1542924.html