More than 200 runners picked from Vietnam’s three non-professional races will compete on May 19 in the 31st SEA Games marathon content, the organizers said.

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Runners compete at the VPBank Hanoi Marathon 2021 in Hanoi on March 6, 2022.

Their competition marks the first time when results of Vietnam's leading non-elite runners are recorded in the marathon content of the regional largest sport event.

Their start time will be 8:00 a.m. to ensure absolute safety for professional runners, based on a decision by the Asian Athletics Association, while their track will be on the same route reserved for professional athletes and organized according to SEA Games standards as one of the official contents in the 31st SEA Games.

“For the first time in Vietnam's sports history and also for the first time at the SEA Games, more than 200 non-elite athletes can participate directly in a regional professional tournament in the role of ‘running in companion,” said Associate Professor Doctor Nguyen Tri, General Director of DHA Vietnam Company, which owns the VPBank Hanoi Marathon.

“It is also an important indicator of the revival of the non-professional sport and the development in line with international trends,” he added.

Winners of the men’s and women’s groups in the SEA Games marathon will be handed with gold, silver and bronze medals, the organizers said.

Most of the non-elite runners joining the May 19 marathon have been selected from the VPBank Hanoi Marathon 2021, which took place on March 6, 2022 on the same track reserved for the 31st SEA Games marathon. The race marked the first time when a non-professional marathon was approved by the Vietnam Athletics Federation to award the National Record-Breaking Prize.

While no new national records were set at the VPBank Hanoi Marathon 2021, runners have all highly appreciated the effort of the Race Organizing Committee to encourage the spirit and motivate the athletes to compete at their best to win the opportunity to challenge themselves in a world-class tournament such as the 31st SEA Games.

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Held annually since 2018, the VPBank Hanoi Marathon has become Hanoi’s official race and won recognition to be a member of the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS) since 2019, with a running track standardized by AIMS experts and the Vietnam Athletics Federation. Runners’ results are recognized to qualify for the prestigious Boston Marathon. The VPBank Hanoi Marathon has joined the Age Group Ranking System of Abbott World Marathon Majors, counting from 2022.

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Race Date: October 16, 2022.

Facebook fan page: https://www.facebook.com/VPBankHanoiMarathon

Should you have any question about the VPBank Hanoi Marathon, please email us at: hanoi.marathon@dhavietnam.vn.

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