Over 7,000 runners from 52 countries competed at the sixth Manulife Da Nang International Marathon in the central city on August 12.

Winners of the men's half marathon event at the sixth Manulife Da Nang International Marathon in the central city on August 12.

This year, the marathon offered four distances – a full marathon (42km), half marathon (21km), a 10km run and a 5km fun run for locals and donors. Most of the titles went to Vietnamese and Japanese athletes.

Two Vietnamese athletes – Pham Thi Hong Le and Nguyen Linh Chi – won the first and second places while Marion Torres from France came third at the women’s full marathon event. For men’s event, Huyen Tan Tien of Vietnam ranked third after Suzaki Yuuya and Koji Nishizawa, both from Japan.

For the women’s half marathon, Lo Thi Thanh and Nguyen Thuy Phuong of Vietnam finished first and third while Tomomi Nakajima of Japan came second. Japan’s Hiroki Nakajima got the men’s half marathon title, followed by Nguyen Dang Khoa and Doan Ngoc Hoang from Vietnam.

Vietnamese runners dominated all the titles of the women’s 10km run – Nguyen Thi Huong first, Bui Thi Mai second, and Dinh Thi Ngat third. Le Dinh Tuan and Le Cong Bang from Vietnam claimed first and second places and Kim Seongwon from the Republic of Korea came third at the men’s event.

After the run, the organizer presented more than 225 million VND (nearly 10,000 USD) raised from donors and organisations for the province’s people with disabilities, orphans, AO/dioxin victims, and disadvantaged children and women.

The race is sponsored by Manulife and organised by Pulse Active and Da Nang. It is the first Vietnamese marathon certified by the International Amateur Athletics Association (IAAF) and the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races.

Last year, more than 5,700 athletes from 44 countries and territories joined the race, and more than 21,000 USD was raised for handicapped people and orphans, victims of Agent Orange/dioxin, disabled people, the Village of Hope and 15 low-income families in the city.

The Eat Play Surf also selected the Da Nang International Marathon as one of the 10 best marathons to conquer in Southeast Asia and has the most beautiful setting. –VNA