Saigon South International School students, teachers to join HCMC midnight race

Josh Smith, teacher of the school in Ho Chi Minh City, was one of the first runners to pick up bibs for VnExpress Marathon Ho Chi Minh City Midnight on Friday morning. He came to receive bibs for the school's running group.

"We registered for all distances, 5km, 10km, 21km and 42km. VnExpress Marathon Ho Chi Minh City Midnight will be a useful and necessary activity in the school training program as it provides students an opportunity to challenge themselves and achieve a physical goal," said Smith.

Josh Smith checks QR code at VM Ho Chi Minh City Midnight bib distribution area. Photo by Quynh Tran

The teacher from New Zealand participated in several international marathons before, and VnExpress Marathon Ho Chi Minh City Midnight will be his first race in Vietnam.

He usually encourages his students to participate in races, especially in moderate distances, to improve their physical and mental health.

"I once completed a full marathon in more than 4 hours and tried with a distance of 60 km," Smith said.

To prepare for the race, the team have practiced for 15 weeks with a coach. They started with a distance of 2-3km, and gradually increased to 18-19km.

"We are excited to run together, especially to admire the beautiful Saigon in the morning dew," Smith said.

The race will cover several well-known streets of HCMC such as Nam Ky Khoi Nghia, Dong Khoi, Ton Duc Thang, and Nguyen Hue.

The distances of 10km, 21km and 42km will cross two iconic bridges, Ba Son and Thu Thiem, offering panoramic view of skyscrapers such as Landmark 81 and Bitexco.

Josh Smith takes photo with bibs and race kits. Photo by Quynh Tran

VnExpress Marathon Ho Chi Minh City Midnight will start at 0 a.m. on Sunday at Tao Dan Park. Full-marathon athletes will start at midnight, 5-kilometer and 10-kilometer runners at 0:30 a.m., and half-marathon runners at 1:15 a.m.