Local runners dominate inaugural Mui Ne half marathon
Monday, September 10, 2012, 16:07 GMT+7
Vietnamese male long distance runners dominated the inaugural Mui Ne Half Marathon on Sunday recording the three fastest times, held on the elevated coastal highway 706B.
Tran Van Cong won the 21km half marathon for men. Outpacing the entire international field, he conquered the race in 1 hour 17 minutes and 21 seconds to claim the title.
“I'm happy to win the first international running race held in my hometown. I was very familiar with the course, which obviously gave me a slight advantage over the foreign participants. I hope to run it again next year.” said Tran, who is from the nearby town of Phan Thiet.
Do Van Tinh checked in second in 1:17:49 while Ta Tan Xinh came in third in 1:18:54.
In the women’s 21km race, Nicole Marchetto from the United States ran to victory, finishing in 2 hours 7 minutes and 19 seconds.
International participants from 16 countries began and finished at Sea Links City, one Vietnam’s largest five-star resorts. In addition to the headlining 21km half marathon race, runners were also offered a shorter 10km race and a 5km fun run that took place on the same scenic course.
Guest-of-Honour, Mr Do Van Ba, Vice Director of Binh Thuan Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism was in attendance to witness the event.
“We are believers in the transformative power of sport,” said Sporting Republic founder David Shin. “The scenic route on highway 706B is the manifestation of our mission statement to inspire participants and connect communities. With the support of all of the different government departments, volunteers and participants we were able to inspire, I think we did just that. It’s with an aim of inspiring an even larger audience next year that my team and I already have started planning an even greater event for 2013.”Race Results: 21km Men’s Overall 1st: Tran Van Cong – Vietnam: 1 hour 17 minutes 21 seconds 2nd: Do Van Tinh – Vietnam: 1 hour 17 minutes 49 seconds 3rd: Ta Thanh Xinh - Vietnam: 1 hour 18 minutes 54 seconds 21km Women’s Overall 1st: Nicole Marchetto – USA: 2 hours 07 minutes 19 seconds 2nd: Brooke Stluka – USA: 2 hours 18 minutes 27 seconds 3rd: Kah Peng Aw – Singapore: 2 hours 34 minutes 14 seconds
