Preparing for the international marathon

With over 8,200 runners registered for the race and over 1,050 runners registered for the Marathon distance (42.195 km), this made the race the largest Marathon in the history of Vietnam Marathon. The race gathered professional athletes from Kenya and Ethiopia - two countries famous for their invincible Marathon athletes, running with thousands of domestic and foreign athletes.

The total prize value is up to nearly 30,000 USD, of which the cash prize value includes 5,000 USD for the Open Marathon Men's and Women's champions and 2,000 USD for the best performing Men's and Women's athletes.

Defending champion Peter Kipleting Keter from Kenya returns to defend his title, joining 2017 runner-up Geoffrey Kiprotich Birgen (Kenya) and Do Quoc Luat (Vietnam) in third place. Last year’s third-place finisher in the women’s division, Nguyen Chi (Vietnam), will continue to compete alongside other professional female athletes.

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More than 1,500 volunteers, along with MC Whit Raymond, cheered on runners from the start point in the city center, Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens. Runners ran past famous historical landmarks such as the City Post Office, the City Theater, and the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee. The race ended on the riverside of the new urban area Empire City, Thu Thiem, District 2.

Along with the Marathon (42.195 km), Half Marathon (21.0975 km) and 10 km distances, the 5 km race and the Children's Run were held on December 1, 2018 with the Start and Finish points at the Marathon Village, within the new urban area of Empire City, Thu Thiem, District 2.

Also launching this year is the First Step Run Challenge, a campaign designed to encourage runners new to running to get closer to an active lifestyle and make running a part of their daily routine. The two registration formats, the Corporate Challenge and the First Step Run Challenge, are great opportunities for businesses to promote healthy living in the workplace. 46 Running Clubs from all over the country registered and participated in the Running Club Challenge, creating an exciting competition to win the title of the most active Running Club in Vietnam.

The weekend event is also an opportunity for the running community to contribute to support the less fortunate. For the Ho Chi Minh City Fund for the Poor and the Ho Chi Minh City Sports Talent Support Fund, Techcombank will contribute 10,000 VND per kilometer based on the total distance each athlete completes within the competition time specified by the Organizing Committee.

Regardless of the distance or achievement, each athlete participating in the Techcombank Ho Chi Minh City International Marathon will bring home unique experiences on the race track, running through historical and cultural landmarks, as well as introducing a dynamic and developing city moving towards the future.