Japanese Kento wins Trang An Marathon, setting new course record

It was the second time in a row that Kento triumphed in this marathon. The Japanese finished the men's full marathon 42km in a time of 2hr 38.22min, beating the targeted record of 2:58.12 by the organising board.

Vietnam’s Ha Van Duoc came second with nearly two minutes later and Nguyen Van Thuyet was third on 2:47.33.

In the women's race, Nguyen Thi Tra Giang topped the podium clocking 3:01.41. She was followed by Le Minh Tuan on 3:03.45 and Phung Thi Trang on 3:14.21.

In the half marathon 21km categories, it was Trinh Dinh An the male winner after he raced in 1:16.13 and Doan Oanh Oanh the female champion who finished in 1:24.10.

The organisers also presented awards to the top finishers of the men's and women's 10km, 5km and age groups.

Along with the prizes for the fastest runners, there were also bonuses for the best cosplay marathoner and best running image of this year race.

This year about 5,000 runners took part in the annual Trang An Marathon which was jointly organised by Vu Media (VRace) and Ninh Biinh province's Department of Culture and Sports.

"Trang An, the first and only dual world heritage site in Southeast Asia, provides green , beautiful and flat tracks. We believe that runners enjoy an exciting race under the traditional and historical values (in the ancient capital area)," said Vu Van Phong, VRace Director and member of the organising board.

"We also hope through running and other sidelined activities, our runners would be more proud of of the national traditions and history and at the same time promote the culture and beauty of Trang An to the world."

Meanwhile, Director of the Department of Culture and Sports Nguyen Manh Cuong said the marathon was one of the activities to celebrate the third Ninh Binh Festival 2024. It was expected to help connect and spread images of the national cultural heritage in the land of Hoa Lu Ancient Capital to the wider community and to the world.

It was not only an activity to promote people to practise healthy lifestyle but also one of events to celebrate the 10th anniversary that Trang An Landscape Complex was recognised as a dual UNESCO World heritage site.