About 400 foreigners, most of them Koreans, completed the VnExpress Marathon Danang Midnight 2024 on July 14.
Runners from Kenya and Ethiopia won a lot of attention at the Da Nang race.
Kiptoo and Kipchumba from Kenya, and Keress from Ethiopia took turns leading the race from start to finish.
Vietnamese Dan Quyet and Trieu Tien Luyen, and a Japanese runner were the only three participants who were able to follow this group for the first half of the race.
After the first 30 km, Kiptoo and Keress (R) remained side by side. They kept chasing after each other, creating dramatic moments.
Kiptoo won the men's 42km race in 2 hours, 37 minutes, and 4 seconds, claiming the VM full-marathon title for the third consecutive time, after Hue and Quy Nhon.
Finishing second, five seconds behind, Keress said he was quite sad to lose the championship to his friend. However, he was also proud to have completed the race well and met new African friends.
At the finish line, the two runners shook hands and congratulated each other.
Wearing a purple singlet shirt, Japanese runner Kento Kabashima attracted attention when he was among the top runners.
He completed the full marathon in 2 hours, 45 minutes, and 34 seconds, finishing 5th in the men's group.
In the female group, Marta Tinsae Birehan from Ethiopia led the entire marathon.
She had no opponents and completed the Da Nang night race with a record of 2 hours, 56 minutes and 54 seconds.
Marta said she was proud to finally be able to win a VnExpress Marathon.
Last year, at the VM Ho Chi Minh City Midnight 2023, she lost the title to Vietnamese runner Ha Thi Hau due to health problems.
The 21-km distance was Nano Guta Kebede's solo stage. The Ethiopian runner won first place with a time of 1 hour, 11 minutes, 45 seconds.
