Fake Kun Marathon bibs have been discovered.

Kun Marathon is a free race for children aged 6-10, but recently many fake websites have appeared, asking parents to transfer money to register.

Searching for the keyword "Kun Marathon" on Facebook to register her 8-year-old son, Ms. Ngan Anh from Hue City was confused when she found nearly a dozen fan pages with similar names. Last year, she heard from friends about the colorful children's race held in major cities across the country. When she learned that Kun Marathon was coming to Hue this April, she decided to register her son.

Ms. Ngan Anh visited a fan page called "Kun Marathon Kid." This fan page had many posts encouraging parents to register, promising various benefits such as a one million VND shopping voucher and a 15 million VND scholarship for high-achieving runners. "The page's presentation was very professional and informative, so I didn't think it was fake," this parent said.

Numerous fake fan pages appear when searching for the keyword "Kun Marathon" on Facebook. (Image: *Screenshot)*

However, after following the registration steps, Ms. Ngan Anh was added to a Telegram group and asked to transfer money for verification. She was told she would receive the transferred amount along with her commission after completion. "At this point, I found it strange, so I didn't transfer the money. I asked friends who joined last year and found out it was a fake page," Ms. Ngan Anh said.

According to the Kun Marathon organizers, there are nearly a dozen other fake fanpages besides this one. To attract parents, these fanpages also run advertisements on multiple platforms. Many parents have reported transferring money to register for the race and being promised that their children would participate when the event takes place.

The Kun Marathon organizers have stated that currently there is only one official fanpage, "Kun Marathon," on Facebook. Before each race, the organizers will announce the opening of free registration, which will close once the maximum number of participants is reached; no payment is required. Additionally, to stay updated on Kun Marathon information, parents can join the official LOF Kun Marathon group. All other pages are fake.

The fraudulent practice of selling bibs for profit by impersonating the Kun Marathon occurs because the race is completely free and has limited capacity. Each registration period only allows about 2,000 eligible children to participate, while the demand from young runners is 10-20 times higher, according to the organizers.

Two young children receive their Kun Marathon bibs at Ngo Mon Gate on the morning of April 19th. Photo: Duc Dong. — Two young children receive their Kun Marathon bibs at Ngo Mon Gate on the morning of April 19th. Photo: *Duc Dong.*

The most recent Kun Marathon took place in Hue on April 20th. Three weeks before the race, the organizers opened registration for 1,000 early bird spots through a mini-game. By April 10th, official registration opened, reaching 2,000 participants in less than two days. These 2,000 children who registered through the two registration periods will compete on the race course on April 20th at the Imperial Citadel.

The children were divided into groups, according to age, and took turns conquering a nearly 1km long race. Along the way, they had to overcome obstacles. This was both a challenge and an exciting aspect of the competition.

Hoai Phuong

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