UPDATE: Thousands Compete in Can Tho Marathon – A Heritage Race 2022

(Updates with Full Marathon winners)

CAN THO, Dec 4, 2022 (DHA Vietnam) – More than 1,600 runners competing in Full Marathon and Half Marathon started off from Song Hau Park in Can Tho city before dawn on Dec 4, marking the post-pandemic spectacular return of the Can Tho Marathon -  A Heritage Race.

Shortly after that, more than 2,300 runners of the 10-km and 5-km distances also crossed the Start line at 6:00 and 6:20 a.m. respectively, after exciting warm-up sessions.

 

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Runners competing in the Full Marathon 42.195 km and Half Marathon 21.097 km warm up before their Start at the Song Hau Park in Can Tho city before dawn on Dec 4, 2022.

Supplementing the 42.195-km Full Marathon, changing the Start and Finish points the marathon, the Can Tho Marathon - A Heritage Race 2022, one of Vietnam’s most professionally organized running events, has attracted around 6,000 runners to register for the race, far above that in the 2019 debut in the capital of the Mekong Delta.

Having taken over 461 male runners, Hoang Van Hon won the first place in the 42.195-km distance after 02:51:01.8, based on Sportstats Asia data. In the competition of the same distance for 59 female runners, Tran Thi Hoa was the fastest, finishing after 03:20:29.6.

 

 

On Dec 1, 2019, more than 1,200 runners of the marathon started from Luu Huu Phuoc Park to compete in three distances of Half Marathon 21 km, 10 km and 5 km, thanks to the cooperation with the Can Tho Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism as well as the professional instruction from the Vietnam Athletics Federation.

After the successful debut in 2019, having learnt of the importance and attraction of this sporting event, the Can Tho municipal authorities have chosen the Can Tho Marathon – A Heritage Race as the iconic race for the city.

The city government has approved for the Marathon to be held annually in the first week of December for a 10-year period, from 2021-2030, to effectively promote the image of the city, its people and distinctive cultural features of the southwestern river basin region.

In 2020 and 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the marathon could not take place as scheduled.

This year, it has returned with a new look and vitality, fueling the country's opening period, and creating a boost for tourism recovery in Can Tho and the Mekong Delta in particular, and Vietnam in general.

Vietnam’s rice exports in the first 11 months of this year rose an estimated 16 percent from a year ago to nearly 6.7 million tonnes, while aquatic export turnover jumped 27 percent in the same period to USD 10 billion, based on government data.

The Mekong Delta contributes more than 90 percent of Vietnam’s rice exports and more than 60 percent of the country's aquatic export turnover.

Built on the momentum of the country’s strong economic growth so far in 2022, the Can Tho Marathon – A Heritage Race will certainly contribute to the growth of tourism in the region and the country as a whole.

By the end of November 2022, although the number of foreign tourists in Vietnam has not had a breakthrough, the country has recorded 96.3 million Vietnamese tourists, far exceeding the initial annual target of 60 million, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism said.

In 2019, before the pandemic, the country had 85 million domestic tourists.

In that context, while the number of foreign runners competing in the Can Tho Marathon – A Heritage Race 2022 remains small, but given the standards of the race which has joined the Age Group Ranking System of Abbott World Marathon Majors, counting  from 2022, the number of foreign runners participating in the next marathons will increase.

Results of the Can Tho Marathon – A Heritage Race 2022 are recorded by Sportstats Asia, the world's largest sports timing company.

In the media coverage, Hachi8Media, a domestic firm, is responsible for capturing runners' best moments on the heritage track that run pasts many cultural and historical landmarks of Can Tho.

The Can Tho Marathon – A Heritage Race belongs to the Heritage Race system owned and organized annually by DHA Vietnam.

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The Can Tho Marathon - A Heritage Race represents an opportunity to discover the charming beauty of the western land in Vietnam's southern region through each running step. The marathon has joined the Age Group Ranking System of Abbott World Marathon Majors, counting from 2022.

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Race Date: December 4, 2022.

Facebook fan page: https://www.facebook.com/Can-Tho-Heritage-Marathon-103978847625886 

Should you have any question about the Can Tho Marathon - A Heritage Race, please email us at: canthomarathon@dhavietnam.vn.

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The Heritage Race system, organized annually by DHA Vietnam, comprises the VPBank Hanoi Marathon in October, the Halong Bay Heritage Marathon in November and the Can Tho Marathon - A Heritage Race in December.