The number and achievements in running events will skyrocket in 2023, leading to major changes in society, economy and development potential in Vietnam.
In 2023, 41 full marathon (FM) distance running events were held in Vietnam, up 25% compared to last year. These events attracted more than 264,000 participants and took place in 27 provinces and cities.
Runners’ performances have also improved. There were more than 29,000 marathons completed, up 46% compared to 2022, with Long Bien Marathon recording a record 4,067. The number of athletes completing sub4 also increased from 2,009 to 4,624 (57%).
"The number of runners who achieved sub-4 marathons in the second half of 2023 increased dramatically - double the previous number," said Mr. Do Binh, head of Vietnam's Best Marathon - a group specializing in PR statistics (personal achievement records) for sub-4 runners in Vietnam. "Their personal record-breaking speed is also very fast. The year-end races are chosen by many runners to win PR due to the ideal weather. At VnExpress Marathon Hai Phong, 90% of athletes who achieved sub-4 marathons achieved new PRs."
The running movement, in fact, has been simmering from 2017 to 2019 with events being held regularly. Although not reaching the scale of 10,000 people, there are races attracting 5,000 to 8,000 athletes, including many foreign athletes.
While it was on the rise, Vietnamese running went through a period of suppression due to Covid-19. In mid-2020, 12 races were canceled or postponed, according to iRace statistics. By 2021 and early 2022, 28 races could not be held as previously announced.
But since April 30, 2022, Vietnam has abolished domestic health declarations, and people no longer face barriers in traveling. That was the signal shot for the pedal running movement to start again. To date, races have spread to many provinces and cities in the country.
Unprecedented sports movement in Vietnam
On June 12, the first race with a scale of 10,000 people in 2022 took place in Binh Dinh - VnExpress Marathon Quy Nhon 2022. From then until the end of the year, there were six more races with a scale of at least 10,000 people.
In 2023, there will be 13 races with at least 10,000 participants, an increase of 46%. Seven of these races are part of the VnExpress Marathon system. The scale of each race has also gradually increased. In 2021, the largest race in Vietnam had a scale of 13,000 people, in 2022 it was 12,000 people. This year, the maximum scale has increased to 15,000 people and promises to increase further next year.
Ms. Le Thi Van Anh, deputy organizer of VnExpress Marathon, said: "Initially, local authorities were quite cautious about the plan to host large-scale races, especially in inexperienced provinces and cities. They were afraid of the reaction from the people when important roads in the center were blocked. However, the revenue from tourism is a telling number. A race with 11,000 participants can attract four or five times more tourists."
From an athlete’s perspective, running is the most popular way for Vietnamese people to stay active. This is an individual sport that does not require external contact. Practicing alone helps athletes feel their bodies better, thereby adjusting their goals accordingly.
Ha Thi Hau, a tour guide from Lao Cai, took advantage of her work hiatus to practice running to lose weight and improve her health. She then became a phenomenon when she won seven consecutive trail races. To date, Ha Hau has become a "big name" in the running world - the top 1 female amateur runner with a personal best (PR) of 2 hours 56 minutes set at the VnExpress Marathon Ho Chi Minh Midnight in February 2023.
Although it is an individual sport, running helps participants connect more with the outside world. This is also an effective way to heal psychological trauma. In addition, for those who love to conquer, running achievements can be one of the important personal goals, making them not hesitate to invest effort, time and money.
The increased demand has led to the emergence of nutrition consulting services, running technique guidance, and running clubs across the country. In Ho Chi Minh City, more and more people are pursuing the job of running coach. Many new training companies have emerged, opening up more opportunities not only for professional athletes but also for amateur runners who want to pursue running seriously.
"The number of running coaches in Ho Chi Minh City has increased rapidly in the past year, but is still not enough to meet the needs of the community. Although knowledge about running can be easily found online, detailed instructions on running techniques or body control during training and competition are not easily accessible in Vietnam. Coaches are also companions, encouragers and set reasonable goals for runners, helping them set a running schedule that suits their abilities and avoid injuries," shared coach Thang "Gao" in Ho Chi Minh City.
Awakening the need for health spending
The running movement also reflects the impact of the economic recession on consumer behavior. According to research on trends and behavioral changes of Vietnamese consumers conducted by NIQ , the need to spend more money on health care as people choose a "cautious optimism" lifestyle.
Accordingly, the two groups of "cautious" and "recovering" consumers, accounting for 70% of Vietnamese consumption in 2023, spend about 50% of their spending on ensuring health, work and planning for the future - which are also the values that running brings. They reduce consumption of unnecessary items such as snacks and alcoholic beverages - products that should be avoided when exercising.
In the context of tightening spending, Vietnamese people still spend money on running shoes, sports watches worth millions of dong, or functional products such as running gel, electrolyte water... According to a report by sports watch company Garmin, Vietnamese users' running activities increased by 86% from 2020 to 2022. In 2022, the number of users of this company's new product line increased by 35%.
According to Statista , the revenue of Vietnam's sports shoe market increased from 191.9 million USD in 2021 to 257.7 million USD in 2022 (30%). By 2023, this figure jumped to 332.2 million USD (up 28.9%) and is forecast to increase steadily at 5% from 2024 to 2028. In total, Vietnamese people consumed 2.02 million pairs of shoes in 2022 and 2.51 million pairs this year.
"Although the US is the leading country in terms of sports shoe sales, Vietnam's per capita sales of this item ($3.33) are remarkable. Looking ahead, sports shoe sales in Vietnam are expected to reach 2.7 million pairs in 2028, with a growth rate of 1.6% in 2024," the site commented.
Vietnamese runners like to invite friends and relatives to join in running. In the community, people joke that this sport is easy to "addict" and "contagious". Products of the running market, therefore, also penetrate through word of mouth. Initially, some runners learned how to buy running shoes, clothes... and then became retailers because many "fellow runners" asked them to buy. Some people saw a business opportunity in this field.
Lam Thi Kim Cuong, a primary school teacher who loves running in Tay Ninh, opened an online running shop after Tet 2023. While practicing running and teaching, she was also so busy checking customer messages that she considered quitting her job to focus on this field.
Unlike other products, running gear does not need "Black Friday" or flash sales to stimulate demand. Consumers tend to spend a lot before each race, which is growing rapidly in number. According to Kim Cuong, although the business is not large, during peak times she can close 10 orders a day, earning about two million VND.
"Most runners like to be quick and neat, and don't bargain much. There is an admin of a running group who bought a whole batch of shoes as a reward for members, then they told each other and continued to support me. There are customers who buy them as gifts for their employees, encouraging them to run. Female runners also have the need to dress up, so they like unique and strange colors," she revealed.
Currently, to participate in a long-distance race, runners usually spend an average of 1.5 to 2 million VND to buy a bib for a full marathon and 1 million VND for a half marathon. Not to mention the cost of travel, accommodation when participating in the race, and training costs. However, the number of people registering for races is still increasing steadily. A member of the organizing committee of a large race revealed that the revenue from selling bibs is nothing compared to the cost of organizing, but the opportunity to attract sponsors is high.
Socialization potential
So far, the explosion of running has clearly not come from any policy, but from social motivation - when people really have the need to practice and compete. For many years, the problem of socializing sports has not found a way out. Marathon athletes, like other sports, train according to the standards of state management agencies. They live and work in national sports training areas or provincial athletics teams. This leads to the quality of training and the athletes' performance being affected if state resources decrease. In addition, being on the payroll of teams can limit the ability to access opportunities from outside, making the athletes' lives precarious before and after retirement.
Pham Thi Binh, the marathon champion at the 27th SEA Games, once made everyone regret when she retired at the age of 25 because she could not find a future. She got married, had children, and then became a coach for the Quang Ngai athletics team. At one point, the athlete's family had to live in a small room under the stands of the Quang Ngai stadium. In 2022, when the running movement flourished, Pham Thi Binh competed in marathons again and immediately made a splash.
"The explosive running movement not only brings me but also everyone the opportunity to interact, learn, and exchange experiences in this sport as well as in life," Pham Thi Binh shared. "When I was an athlete, I rarely competed in a competition with more than 15 athletes, but now, every time I go to a race, there are thousands of people around. I feel that the atmosphere makes people want to burn and explore their own limits. Currently, running races help both professional and amateur athletes earn extra income, improve their quality of life as well as their spirit."
Nguyen Van Lai, the 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2022 SEA Games champion in the 5,000m and 10,000m races, switched to marathon after completing his national duty. He wants to find new limits for himself and hopes to represent Vietnam in the marathon at the SEA Games in the future.
Not many Vietnamese athletes are motivated to pursue a path like Van Lai, but this is quite common among athletes around the world. Mo Farah, Genzebe Dibaba, Sifan Hassan have moved from their strong point of 1,500m to the marathon. Most recently, Jakob Ingebrigtsen - who holds the world records in the 1,500m, 2,000m and two miles - has also shared similar plans.
After becoming the fastest Vietnamese marathon runner in 2023, with a time of 2 hours and 25 minutes at VnExpress Marathon Hanoi Midnight, Van Lai shared: "Currently, Vietnam has many tournaments. But none of them have met the requirements in terms of track quality, organization and weather for an athlete like me to break the record. I am 37 years old this year, I long for a race like that in a few years to break the Vietnamese marathon record."
The Vietnamese marathon record of 2 hours 21 minutes set by the legendary Nguyen Chi Dong at the 22nd SEA Games in 2003 in Hanoi has not been broken yet. However, with the current development, the Vietnamese marathon will probably welcome a new record in the near future.
"The recent development of running has had a positive impact on the training and sports movement in general, and marathons in particular. The current Vietnamese record belongs to Nguyen Chi Dong - 2 hours and 21 minutes. With the current momentum, I believe that the Vietnamese marathon will soon achieve many more good results in the international arena. There will be athletes who will soon reach or surpass Chi Dong's record," said Vice President of the Vietnam Athletics Federation Le Trung Hinh.
In recent years, thanks to the training and competition environment, the achievements of Vietnamese amateur runners have improved significantly. At the VnExpress Marathon Hai Phong on December 17, champion Hua Thuan Long conquered a new amateur record of 2 hours 34 minutes. In the women's category, Ha Thi Hau is the amateur runner with the best PR of 2 hours 56 minutes, 12 minutes behind the record of 2 hours 44 minutes set by professional athlete Le Thi Tuyet in October.
Currently, there is no mechanism to allow amateur athletes to compete internationally at the SEA Games or Asiad. To participate in qualifying competitions, athletes need to be under the management of a province or city. Of course, to compete with professional athletes, amateur runners need to improve a lot. But opening up opportunities for all citizens to practice and represent the country can pave the way for the socialization of sports, helping to solve the problem of funding and management at many levels.
"Many amateur athletes, despite their abilities, do not want to join the national team because of the strict training methods and time. There, they only receive monthly support from the state, about four million VND. As an amateur athlete, I can confirm that I can cover my own expenses and train to achieve good results. But to participate in the SEA Games or the National Sports Festival, I have to register as an athlete for a team. Athletes from amateur clubs are not allowed," Ha Thi Hau raised the issue.
In Japan, one of the world's leading marathon countries, races are divided into two categories. The amateur category has almost no prize money. But the professional category has very high prize money, gathering top athletes from the country and abroad. Professional marathoners in Japan are managed by running companies. They run like they go to work and are paid like ordinary workers.
Before each Olympics, Japan holds a Grand Marathon to select athletes. The qualifying standard for this tournament is 2:08 for men and 2:24 for women. This year, the Grand Marathon to select athletes for the 2024 Paris Olympics attracted 14,193 registrants. Currently, some running clubs in Vietnam are willing to sponsor potential athletes so that they can focus on improving their performance.
The fast-growing running movement has created a colorful picture. There is a family of 11 people, spanning three generations, participating in a race together, there is a 74-year-old overseas Vietnamese runner who sees running as an opportunity to visit his homeland. In April 2023, the LGBTQ community was stirred up by a couple's proposal at the finish line in Hue.
That optimism needs to continue and runners need to be freed from their limitations to reach higher goals. Running in Vietnam has gone beyond the boundaries of a sport. The great social resources of this sport can be the driving force to bring marathons out of the mold and provide a solution to the problem of socializing sports with managers.
Quang Huy
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