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| Permanent Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Thanh Binh (second from the left) delivering a speech at the press conference |
The VnExpress Marathon Imperial Hue 2023, organized by VnExpress in coordination with the Thua Thien Hue Provincial People's Committee, will be kicked off on April 16th with four distances of 5km, 10km, 21km, and 42km. Over 10,000 participants will race through the heritage roads, picturesque suburbs, and modern urban areas of the Ancient Capital.
After Ho Chi Minh City, Hue Ancient capital is the second stop for them on their journey to conquer the VnExpress Marathon in 2023. This year also marks the third season of VnExpress Marathon returning to Hue with an expanded scale of organization and prizes.
From nearly 5,000 runners in the first season, the scale of the race has increased to over 10,000 runners in 2023, including professional athletes, amateur runners, running clubs from all over the country, and many runners from different countries around the world.
To support the athletes in conquering the distances and improving their personal achievements, the race route of VnExpress Marathon Imperial Hue has been upgraded prior to the race. According to the plan, all four distances will start at the intersection of Le Duan - Nguyen Trai streets and finish at the intersection of To Huu - Ha Huy Tap streets.
Specifically, the 21km and 42km routes which meet AIMS standards hardly have any changes compared to the previous season. For the 21km category, runners will complete a large loop around Hue's Imperial City before heading towards the inner-city route.
As for the 42km category, half of the route is similar to the route for the 21km, but with additional modern roads in Hue, such as Tu Duc Street and Vo Van Kiet Street… The 10km category is designed to be more optimal, passing through many beautiful roads within the Citadel. Runners of the 5km category have the opportunity to pass by famous landmarks in Hue that bear the mark of time.
Over 10,000 athletes participating in the VnExpress Marathon Imperial Hue 2023 all have the chance to win overall awards of over 1.1 billion VND in total, according to their categories and age group, including an estimated cash value of nearly 800 million Vietnamese dong.
Especially, for the first time, the Organizing Committee will award prizes to families participating in the competition. Families with at least three members and a total registered distance of minimum 36km have the opportunity to win awards if they achieve impressive results. The family award at VnExpress Marathon Imperial Hue 2023 also sets a precedent for the Organizing Committee to implement this category in all upcoming tournaments in the VnExpress Marathon system.
Permanent Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Thanh Binh emphasized that the VnExpress Marathon Imperial Hue 2023 is a significant event, showcasing the positive effects of sports and fitness activities enjoyed by the people and spreading throughout the community. It is also a national-scale mass sports activity organized through the coordination between the provincial People's Committee and VnExpress newspaper.
The Permanent Vice Chairman also expressed gratitude to VnExpress and other accompanying organizations for jointly creating a large-scale marathon event, attracting a large number of participants, and bringing about the values of the marathon not only domestically but also internationally. Through this, it contributes to promoting the image of Hue as a land of heritage, beautiful landscapes, with green and clean environment, and friendly Hue people to both domestic and international tourists.