Athletes test the route ahead of the second VnExpress Marathon Hanoi Midnight which will be organised this weekend in the capital city. (Photo of organisers) Almost 10,000 elite and amateur runners have registered to participate in theevent, starting at midnight November 26.
"We want to highlight and discover Hanoi's tourism potential throughmidnight in the field of sport and physical training," said Nguyen ThiThuy Linh, a representative of the organising board.
"We try to popularise tourism information and the city's night-timeeconomy.
"Each runner is expected to be an ambassador who will deliver our messageto the community in the hope that more and more people will join us in thefuture," she said.
Athletes will compete in different categories of age groups, distances andgenders, vying for a total bonus of 1.5 billion VND (60,500 USD).
Those who set new records will receive extra bonuses from the sponsor andprizes for the winners.
"The midnight running will be a special event for any runner. They willcompete in one of the most professional events, which has lured the highestnumber of participants," said Le Thi Hoang Yen, deputy director ofthe Vietnam Sports Administration.
Among runners are 2,000 children from six to 10 years old. They will be dividedinto different groups and run in the Kun Marathon on Nov. 26 morning.
The race, which is sponsored by Aqua Vietnam, will be kicked off at 0.00 November27 for the 42km, 21km, 10km and 5km, respectively.
During the race, runners will pass by Hanoi's most famous and beautiful roadsand streets such as Thanh Nien, Nguyen Dinh Thi, Hung Vuong and Phan DinhPhung.
They will also run past famous landscapes such as President Ho Chi MinhMausoleum, the Opera House, the St. Joseph's Cathedral and the Hanoi Flag Tower.
This year, a newcategory is open for teams and 36 groups from different localities from Hanoi toHo Chi Minh City.
"After one-yearhiatus due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the VnEpress MarathonHanoi Midnight under the sponsorship of Aqua is expected to satisfy marathonlovers with unique experience of running in the cultural and historicatmosphere of Hà Nội," read a statement of Aqua Viet Nam Company.
"By sponsoring the marathon, Aqua wishes to promote culturaland sporting events in the context of the new normal, inspiring Vietnamesepeople to return to their daily active and healthy lifestyle."
The VnExpress Marathonis one of the largest national marathon series, organised and managed by theVnExpress online newspaper and FPT Online Joinstock Company.
The first tournamentwas held in 2019 in Quy Nhon City, the south central province of Binh Dinh. Ithas been an annual event in cities and provinces in Vietnam since then.
In 2022, the marathoncame to Hue in April, Quy Nhon in June, Ha Long in July and Nha Trang in August.
VnExpress Marathon wasawarded silver at the Asian Media Award 2021 by the World Association ofNewspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) in revenue diversification.
All its trackshave been certified with the AIMS-World Athletics running standard by theInternational Marathon Association and the World Athletics Federation./.
VNA
