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Phạm Thị Hồng Lệ and Huỳnh Anh Khôi defend their titles in style at the VPBank Hanoi International Marathon (VPIM) 2026 on October 18.
Marathon
Phạm Thị Hồng Lệ crosses the finish line of the VPIM 2026 on October 18. She sets a new record of the tournament's women's 42km category. Photos courtesy of organisers
HÀ NỘI — Phạm Thị Hồng Lệ and Huỳnh Anh Khôi proved their star quality as they won their second titles within two weeks by topping the VPBank Hanoi International Marathon (VPIM) 2026 on October 18.
Previously they dominated and defended their gold medal of the Techcombank Hanoi International Marathon on October 4.
Lệ performed even better, reaffirming her status as one of the country's top current marathoners by setting a new tournament record of 2 hours, 47 minutes, and 52 seconds in the women's 42km category. She ran nearly six minutes faster than her winning time last year.
More than 11,000 runners at the start of the tournament.
It was her second record after setting a new benchmark of 2:50:41 at the Techcombank event.
Lệ was followed by Doãn Thị Oanh who clocked 2:53:10 and Hán Thị Bích Thư who finished at 2:58.17.
On the men's side, Khôi faced no real competition, securing the champion title in 2:31:49 after a dominant solo performance across nearly the entire route.
Huỳnh Anh Khôi cheers with supporters on his way to the finish line.
Runner-up Phạm Đức Thọ crossed the line more than eight minutes later, followed closely by Đặng Anh Quyết, who claimed third in 2:42:44.
In the 21km categories, national athlete team members Trần Trung Cường took the men's title (1:09.56) and Bùi Thị Thu Hà earned the women's top place (1:25.31).
The winners of the 10km classes were Trịnh Quốc Lương, a former SEA Games medalist, and Ly Ngọc Hà, a young talented runner.
In the 5km, Tấn Láo Lở was the male champion while Khuất Phương Anh took the limelight in the female competition. The win marked her remarkable rejoin to the running community after months rest for pregnancy and maternity leave.
Runners pass the dragons, a favourite check-in place at the West Lake.
The seventh VPIM featured more than 11,000 competitors from 38 countries and regions, running pass the city's famous landmarks, historic sites and cultural venues.
Assessing the significance of the event, Phạm Xuân Tài, deputy director of the Hà Nội Department of Culture and Sports, said: “Events like VPIM 2026 make a practical contribution to promoting the image of the capital, a city rich in cultural identity and welcoming to international friends, while also serving as a catalyst for tourism and the sports economy. We acknowledge and highly value the efforts of VPBank and the organising committee in maintaining a large-scale tournament that fosters a healthy lifestyle within the community.” — VNS