Japanese, Thai win Hội An Int’l marathon

Japanese, Thai win Hội An Int’l marathon

Impressive: Japanese Sota Hara (second left)takes the men’s  四 二km event of the Hội An International Marathon  二0 一 七 yesterday. — VNS Photo Công Thành

HỘI AN — Japanese Sota Hara and Thailand’s Pujyanuch Prachayanipon won the men’s and women’s Hội An International Marathon in the historic coastal city yesterday.

Hara, who works and lives in HCM City, ran the  四 二km in  三hr 一 三. 五 二 min to win the trophy in his first race in the UNESCO-recognised world heritage site.

“I am so happy today. I have not run a marathon for  一0 years,” Hara told Việt Nam News after the race. “It’s also the first time I raced in Hội An and visited the town. The track is very cool today.” 

Pride: A runner is welcome by her mother at the Hội An International Marathon  二0 一 七.— VNS Photo Công Thành

Australian Patrick Bugg Stephen came in second with a time in  三hr 二 一. 二 三min, ahead of Vietnamese Đàm Trọng, in third place with  三hrs  二 二. 五0min.

Stephen’s wife, Kim Bugg, also ranked second in the women’s half marathon ( 二 一km).

In the women’s  四 二km, Thai Prachayanipon dominated with a time in  三hr 四 三. 一 九min,  四 七 minutes faster than the runner-up, Tamae Harada from Japan ( 四hr 三0. 七min), and Malaysian Chiew Tai Ong, in third with  四hr 三 三. 六min.

In the men’s  二 一km, Verdickt Gertjan from Belgium finished first, while Vietnamese Phạm Thị Thọ took the women’s category.

Women power: The women’s full marathon winners of the Hội An International Marathon  二0 一 七. — VNS Photo Công Thành

The marathon, which was hosted for the first time in Hội An, drew around  一, 五00 runners, mostly foreigners, competing in the men’s and women’s  四 二km,  二 一km  一0km and fun-run  五km categories along a beach track and in the town’s old quarters.

The race was held under the sponsorship of Index Creative Village, Bangkok Airways, Greenhat, and FabMotion.

Last year, Index Creative Village from Thailand and Quảng Nam Province agreed on co-operation to boost Thai tourism to destinations such as Hội An’s old town, the Mỹ Sơn Sanctuary and the Chàm Island-Hội An biosphere reserve.

Hội An hosted  一. 七 million tourists last year. — VNS