Japanese runner wins VnExpress Marathon in Nha Trang

Nakajima finished the full marathon in two hours 33 minutes and 54 seconds, nearly eight minutes faster than the runner-up Victor Chepkwony from Kenya, who was the favorite before the tournament.

Nakajima's personal record was two hours and 23 minutes, while Chepkwony's was two hours and 19 minutes. Chepkwony had set a goal to break the VnExpress Marathon's 42 km distance record after achieving his personal best at the Standard Chartered Nairobi marathon in 2019.

Despite the competitive nature of the event, Nakajima was constantly smiling at every photographer along the track and was even willing to pose when he could.

"I didn't think that I would come first. The Kenyan runner was close behind me for almost the entire track. I was aware of the fame of Kenyan runners, so I tried to run the fastest I could," the Japanese runner said.

"This is a very good result for me personally."

For the last 5 km, Nakajima kept looking back and slowed down, but his rivals could not catch up. 

For the women’s full marathon, Kenyan athlete Shelmith Muriuki defended her championship, crossing the finishing line after 2 hours 52 minutes and 42 seconds. She failed to beat her own record of 2 hours 47 minutes and 41 seconds set at the VnExpress Marathon race in Quy Nhon two months ago.

This is the second time the VnExpress Marathon has been held in Nha Trang. The race attracted 11,000 runners, including 300 foreigners.