Earlier, the delegation of athletes offered incense at the tomb of General Vo Nguyen Giap. During their journey, the delegation carried the "Determined to Fight - Determined to Win" flag along with a painting of General Vo Nguyen Giap with Quang Binh .
After the journey concludes, the two artifacts will be donated by the Organizing Committee to the shrine dedicated to General Vo Nguyen Giap in Muong Phang commune, Dien Bien Phu city, Dien Bien province.
It is expected that 10 athletes will complete the nearly 900km distance in 70 hours, corresponding to the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu victory.
Mr. Nguyen Duc Thang, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Giao Thong Newspaper and Deputy Head of the Organizing Committee of the THACO Marathon for Road Safety - Dien Bien Phu 2024, said that the relay race to Dien Bien Phu is like the image of the troops of yesteryear pouring into the battlefield to achieve glorious victories that shook the world.
"The event is even more meaningful as the athletes started from the tomb of General Vo Nguyen Giap - the elder brother of the Vietnam People's Army, the commander-in-chief of the Dien Bien Phu campaign," Mr. Thang said.
According to Mr. Thang, the THACO Marathon for Road Safety - Dien Bien Phu 2024 is jointly organized by the Traffic Newspaper, the National Road Safety Committee, and the People's Committee of Dien Bien province, with sponsorship from Truong Hai Group Joint Stock Company, Vietnam National Petroleum Group, and other organizations.
For his part, athlete Nong Van Chuyen, representing the running group, expressed his pride in being chosen to undertake this special journey: "We will strive to achieve our goal. This is not just an ordinary run, but also carries great significance, as a tribute to the generations of our forefathers who fell for independence and freedom."
The competition is part of a series of activities celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory (May 7, 1954 - May 7, 2024); the 115th anniversary of the founding of Dien Bien province (June 28, 1909 - June 28, 2024), the National Tourism Year - Dien Bien Phu 2024 and the Road Safety Year 2024.
In its third year, the THACO Marathon for Road Safety has expanded in scale, promising to attract approximately 1,300 domestic and international athletes participating in 5 distances: 5km, 10km, 21km, 42km, and 70km.
The race takes place on April 14th, with the 70km race starting at 4:00 AM, the 42km race at 6:00 AM, the 21km race at 7:30 AM, and the remaining two races starting at 10:00 AM. The race course will close at 9:00 PM on the same day.
The Organizing Committee will award first, second, and third prizes in each distance category, for both men's and women's events, with a total prize pool of nearly 100 million VND.
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