The cool weather during the two competition days (October 12 and 13) created a pleasant feeling for the athletes. At 4:00 p.m. on October 12, thousands of athletes, delegates and sports fans were present at February 3 Square in Bac Giang City to attend the opening ceremony of the tournament.

An overview of the opening ceremony.

The race attracted more than 3,000 athletes, the largest number ever. Of which, the collective run had more than 1,300 athletes (24 groups) who were students from secondary and high schools in Bac Giang City.

The half marathon attracted nearly 1,500 athletes from many regions across the country to compete in distances of 5 km, 10 km, 21 km for both men and women together with more than 200 athletes participating in the support run.

Delegates participate in the run to respond to the tournament.

This was also the first time the race is organized in the form of a half marathon with the running track crossing through areas, historical sites, constructions, and beautiful streets in Bac Giang City.

After the collective run on the afternoon of October 12, the half marathon on the morning of October 13 was the most anticipated event for sports lovers. At 3:30 a.m., athletes were present at February 3 Square to warm up. Everyone was ready to enter the race.

Athletes participate in collective running.

In this tournament, the Organizing Committee attached an electronic chip to each athlete to accurately measure their performance.

In addition to the province's running enthusiasts participating with many different professions and ages, there were also "runners" from all over the country who had competed and achieved high results in professional marathons.

Athletes participate in the 10 km half marathon.

Particularly, the two leading track and field athletes of Vietnam and Southeast Asia, from Bac Giang, Nguyen Thi Oanh (born in 1995) and Pham Tien San (born in 1991) competed in the 21 km distance, making the race even more attractive.

On the racetrack, the "young" athletes competing in the 5 km distance also tried their best to reach the finish line amid the cheers and encouragement of fans.

Athletes participate in the 21 km half marathon.

Finishing the half marathon, at a distance of 21 km, the two SEA Games 32 champions, Nguyen Thi Oanh and Pham Tien San, accelerated and created a big gap with the remaining runners in the same distance.

As a result, athlete Pham Tien San won the men's championship, with a time of 1 hour 9 minutes 46 seconds and athlete Nguyen Thi Oanh won the women's championship, with a time of 1 hour 17 minutes 27 seconds.

National athlete Pham Tien San on the track.

At the 10 km distance, the first to finish in the men's category was athlete Trinh Quoc Luong with a time of 34 minutes 27 seconds and in the women's category was athlete Le Thi Lan with a time of 43 minutes 24 seconds.

At the 5 km distance for women, the first to finish was athlete Nguyen Thi Nguyet with a time of 19 minutes 05 seconds while the male champion of this distance was Giap Huy Hoang with a time of 16 minutes 44 seconds.

The exciting on the track.

Previously, on the afternoon of October 12, the Organizing Committee awarded prizes for the collective running event including: 4 First prizes, 4 Second prizes, 8 Third prizes and 8 Consolation prizes. For the junior high school group, the teams were divided into 3 groups, groups 1, 2 had 6 teams and group 3 had 5 teams. 3 First prizes belonged to the junior high schools: Ngo Si Lien, Hoang Van Thu, Xuong Giang.

The high school group had 7 teams participating. Thanks to stable speed and even running, Nguyen Hong High School won the First prize.

Volunteers support athletes.

Nguyen Trong Bac, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Deputy Head of the Organizing Committee, assessed that the professional quality of athletes competing in the marathon event this year is very good.

The clearest evidence was small difference in achievements between athletes competing in the10 km and 5 km race.

Nguyen Thi Oanh reaches the finish line.

Even in the distance of 21 km, apart from Nguyen Thi Oanh and Pham Tien San who always maintained their competitive form, many athletes had spectacular breakthroughs. Notably, the presence of many students further demonstrated the passion for running among young people.

Although it was the first time the tournament has ever been organized in the form of a half marathon, with many new features, 41st Bac Giang Newspaper Half Marathon 2024 gained a great success and left a deep impression on athletes and sports fans inside and outside the province.

The organizing committee congratulates athletes Pham Tien San and Nguyen Thi Oanh for winning first prize in the 21 km distance for men and women.

That success was achieved thanks to the due attention of the provincial leaders, the careful preparation, close and effective coordination of the organizing agencies (Bac Giang Newspaper, Department of Education and Training, Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Provincial Youth Union) and the coordinating units (Provincial Public Security, Department of Health, Bac Giang City People's Committee) as well as the dedication and responsibility of the leaders and professional staff of the agencies with the spirit of determination to overcome difficulties, organize the tournament safely and successfully.

Trinh Van Anh, Editor-in-Chief of Bac Giang Newspaper, Head of the Organizing Committee of the tournament presents flowers to thank the sponsors.

An important contribution to the success of the tournament was the support and practical assistance of sponsors such as: Tan Thinh Construction Co., Ltd., FuJi Bac Giang Development Joint Stock Company, Venicii Joint Stock Company, Hai An Hotel... Along with that, there was the enthusiastic and active participation of athletes and spectators with a noble sportsmanship spirit.