VnExpress Marathon sets June 2020 return

Registration for the event will start on November 12 at 9 a.m. and close on April 15, 2020.

The VnExpress Marathon 2020 will have four distances: full marathon (42 kilometers), half marathon (21 kilometers), 10 kilometers and five kilometers.

The positive impacts of the inaugural VnExpress Marathon have motivated the south central province of Binh Dinh to host the event every year from 2020 to 2025. The starting date of the annual event will fall on the first Sunday of June.

Event organizers said they will keep leveraging previous advantages, such as providing water, utilities and promotions to runners, as well as focusing on redressing any limitations of last year's run in terms of starting points, roads and traffic to enhance the athletes' experience.

The first VnExpress Marathon was held last June and attracted around 5,000 runners, including 100 foreigners.

Since it is one of four events in Vietnam to be recognized by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS), runners can use their records to sign up for bigger events like the Boston Marathon, Chicago Marathon or New York City Marathon.

National athletes Le Quang Hoa of Da Nang and Pham Thi Hong Le of Hanoi were the winners of the 42km VnExpress Marathon 2019, with finishing times of 2:41.57 and 2:52.41 in the men’s and women’s races respectively. Their victory has enabled Hoa and Le to compete in the 2020 Boston Marathon, one of the world's four most prestigious marathons.

The VM 2020 is a charity run and organizers donate 10 percent of the ticket sales proceeds to VnExpress’ Hope Foundation, which works to improve learning facilities for disadvantaged students in Vietnam’s remote provinces.

The marathon’s goal is also to spread sportsmanship and strengthen the sense of community.