More than 10,000 runners competed in the new VnExpress Marathon Hanoi Midnight 2024 - Hyundai Thanh Cong Cup in the early morning of Nov. 24
In the women's full marathon race, Le successfully defended her 10th championship in the VM system with a record of 2 hours and 57 minutes.
Pham Thi Hong Le celebrates her 10th championship at VnExpress Marathon. Photo by VM |
In the men's race, Nguyen Van Lai surged forward after several minutes, separating himself from other opponents and gaining his victory with a time of 2 hours 24 minutes and 40 seconds.
This is also Lai's best record, breaking the VnExpress Marathon system's record and his PR set in last year's Hanoi Midnight Marathon. The victory also helped him reclaim the VM title back from Edwin Kiptoo, who won VM Hue this April.
The 37-year-old Vietnamese runner's familiarity with the capital's roads was an advantage for Lai while it was Kiptoo's first time trying Hanoi's new running route.
Nguyen Van Lai reaches the finish line of VnExpress Marathon Hanoi Midnight 2024. Photo by VM |
Doan Oanh won the women's half marathon in 1 hour and 21 minutes, making this her second championship at the VnExpress Marathon (VM) after the Ho Chi Minh City Midnight Marathon early this year.
Oanh said she did not want to limit herself in any expectations and wanted to give it her all. She especially loves midnight races like the ones in Ho Chi Minh city and Hanoi, giving her a chance to see the city in a different light.
Getting to compete with other skilled runners has also motivated her to train harder.
Doan Oanh finishes the Hanoi midnight race. Photo by VM |
The 10 km distance run witnessed a battle between two young runners Sam Van Doi and Hoang Viet Vi Ly. Both had an intense showdown right from the first minutes, chasing neck and neck then accelerated when they were a few meters apart and gained victory.
In the women's race, Hoang Thi Ngoc Anh won in the 10 km women race in less than 40 minutes. The 2006-born runner is the sister of Nguyen Thi Oanh of the national youth athletics team. Her usual distance was 1,500-3,000 meters, but she recently switched to 5-10 km distance and took part in grassroots races, gaining new experiences.
The 5 km distance run saw the victory of Ngo Luong Quan in the men's category and Bui Thi Ngan among women.
As an aspiring youth runner winning two 5-6 km distance consecutively in one month, Quan said he did not emphasize on achievements and only ran to train his will and strength. If his results are more positive in upcoming races, he will try the half-marathon distance.
Tunner Ngo Luong Quan celebrates his victory at the 5-km distance of Hanoi VM Midnight. Photo by VM |
Ngan winning the 5 km distance the Hanoi Midnight marathon has been expected from the audiences. Previously, she achieved a gold medal in Taiwan open athletic championship in the 1,500 meters distance, and also left an impression when achieving a silver medal at the same distance for Vietnam's national team at SEA Games 32.
Prizes worth a total of VND1 billion were awarded to runners with outstanding achievement in distances, groups and ages at Muong Thanh Hotel, Hanoi on Sunday morning.