New record established at VnExpress Marathon Hue

Bui The Anh (L) finishes first among men in the full marathon at VM Hue, April 10, 2022. Photo by VnExpress

Experts said the record was established because the event attracted many good runners from across the country like Bui The Anh, Le Tan Hi, Dao Minh Thien, and Pham Thi Hue. Many runners said they had been training for a year to prepare for the tournament. In addition, this year's run started at 3:30 a.m. with ideal temperatures and a beautiful course, creating favorable conditions for athletes to accelerate in decisive stages. Professional organization work also supported runners plenty.

VM Hue also witnessed a change in winners. The two top athletes in the full marathon were Bui The Anh (men’s run) and Pham Thi Hue (women’s run). The Anh finished first, in 2 hours, 34 minutes and 52 seconds. Meanwhile, Hue broke the VM record for female runners with a time of 2 hours, 50 minutes and 33 seconds. The previous best record belonged to Pham Thi Hong Le at 2 hours, 52 minutes and 41 seconds.

Pham Thi Hue leads among female participants in the full marathon at VM Hue, April 10, 2022. Photo by VnExpress

In addition to stiff competition, VM Imperial Hue also left great impressions in the eyes of the running community across the country. This year's route was renewed with different starting and finishing points and a single lap. The course took runners through a series of famous landscapes in Hue like Truong Tien Bridge, the Imperial Citadel, and Hue High School for the Gifted... Temperatures on the day reached about 20 degrees Celsius.

This year's course was also measured, assessed for quality and certified by the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS). VM Hue runners can use the result of this competition as a plus point when registering for major world races like Boston Marathon, Chicago Marathon or New York Marathon.

With the desire to create the best quality event for nearly 5,000 runners, organizers mobilized about 1,500 staff many months in advance. Coordination between organizers and Hue People's Committee was also seamless.

Volunteer work, logistics, medical care, and security were all tightened. Along the course, 17 water stations, nine fixed and mobile medical stations with many restrooms were arranged to support athletes.

Athletes participating in this year's tournament could also watch a video of their moment at the finish line thanks to the AI camera system.

After reaching the finish line, runners got to experience a massage and free meals. The organizers prepared 4,000 cans of beer, a large amount of electrolyte water, honey tea, sausages, instant noodles and signature Hue dishes to serve 4,700 runners.

"The 2022 VnExpress Marathon Imperial Hue has left a lot of good impressions on the running community. In the future, we will keep improving the quality of the tournament. We also expect the scale of the tournament to increase and expand to become an international event, attracting more runners from abroad," a representative of the organizers said.