VnExpress Marathon Hanoi Midnight brings unique experience: foreign runners

Andrea Tucker, a South African, said she found out about VM Hanoi Midnight when looking for races around the world and decided to register for the full marathon.

Tucker, who flew to Vietnam on November 25, said one of the factors influencing her decision to travel to Vietnam was the night race, which is fairly new in the world.

She participated in a number of races in Austria and Italy, but VM Hanoi, which began at midnight on Saturday, was her first in Asia.

“I have always been curious about running in places like Vietnam. The run track was excellent. Despite the heat, night running was an amazing experience that I have never had before,” Tucker said.

Andrea Tucker runs the VM Hanoi Midnight full marathon on the early morning of November 27, 2022. Photo by VM

Karl Fleming, an Irish athlete, and his girlfriend arrived in Hanoi two days before the midnight race. He was happy with his first run in Vietnam even though he was unable to beat his personal record.

“The high humidity and the hot temperatures made me sweat a lot.”

He ran in Melbourne two weeks ago for about 2 hours and 38 minutes, and finished the Hanoi race in 2 hours and 57 minutes.

“It was better than expected, because I was looking forward to a fun race when I came here,” said Flemming.

He has competed in races in Australia, France (the Paris Marathon), Ireland and the U.S. He expressed his impression of Vietnam’s vibrant marathon atmosphere.

“The group of volunteers was large and energetic. I will try to attend again,” Fleming said.

Otsuki Takashi, a Japanese runner, had to wait for two years due to Covid-19 postponement to attend VM Hanoi Midnight.

After researching about the first edition of the tournament in 2020, the 50-year-old runner decided to sign up early for the 2022 race, and made plans to fly from his office in Malaysia.

He flew into Hanoi on Saturday and left for Malaysia two days later.

“Absolutely worth the time I spent waiting for. VM and its sponsors have done a great job.

I have taken part in a number of other tournaments in Vietnam, but this one’s organization really pleased me,” said Otsuki.

VnExpress Marathon Hanoi Midnight attracted around 10,000 runners.