Spreading the spirit of running for the community.

Nearly 2,300 athletes, starting just minutes apart across all three distances, experienced the most peaceful and tranquil running routes in Vietnam.

The second "Proud of My Homeland" Half-marathon in 2025, organized by Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper, concluded successfully after nearly four hours of competition, with all athletes safely finishing in their respective events.

Exciting showdowns

From the early morning of April 13th, thousands of amateur and professional runners, including many foreign families, gathered at the Revolutionary Tradition Area of ​​the 1968 Tet Offensive and Uprising – the starting point of the 2nd "Proud of My Homeland" Half-marathon. The main race route is located in Tan Nhut and Le Minh Xuan communes in Binh Chanh district, Ho Chi Minh City – an area with many famous historical and cultural landmarks.

The 11km race, with the second-highest number of participants, provided the most exciting competitions. In the women's category, national team member Nguyen Khanh Ly ( Da Nang ), participating for the first time, crossed the finish line first, securing the top spot with a time of 47 minutes and 29 seconds. Her direct competitor, Cao Thi Thanh Thuy, finished more than a minute behind due to her inability to accelerate effectively in the final stretch. Ngo Hong Thuy finished third, 10 minutes slower than Khanh Ly.

The range of emotions of the athletes at the 2nd "Proud of My Homeland" Half-marathon - 2025. Photo: REPORTER TEAM

Meanwhile, one of the well-known runners, who even won the 21km race last season, Le Huu Loc, despite moving down to the 11km event, couldn't beat younger competitor Truong Van Hieu. He finished about 40 seconds behind Truong Van Hieu and admitted that his inability to train regularly for several months had caused his performance to decline.

Similar exciting competitions also took place in the 6km race. Three female athletes, Truong Hong Uyen, Phan Tieu Loan, and Susan Tran, along with Ly Toan Phat Di, Nguyen Trung Hieu, and Dang Quoc Tuyen, shared the top positions in both the men's and women's races.

The most exciting moment was on the 21km race, where veteran runner Le Thi Ha finished first in the women's category with a time of 1 hour 34 minutes and 54 seconds. Amateur runner Ho Minh Trang Nha from the Agrirun team came in second with 1 hour 44 minutes and 56 seconds, while the third-place finisher Nguyen Thi Nga achieved a time of 1 hour 46 minutes and 20 seconds.

The top three runners in the men's 21km race were Nguyen Van Chinh (1 hour 23 minutes 58 seconds), Nguyen Dang Khoa (1 hour 28 minutes 07 seconds), and Pham Quang Luu (1 hour 29 minutes 06 seconds).

Awaiting the success of the new season.

The second "Proud of My Homeland" Half-marathon in 2025 was a resounding success, receiving high praise for both the professionalism and the quality of the race course from most amateur and professional athletes. Everyone hopes the event will continue in the coming years with even more professional organization, attracting a large number of athletes nationwide and contributing to the development of running in Vietnam.

In conjunction with this year's half-marathon season, the "Proud of the National Flag" program, launched and implemented by the Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper, donated 5,000 flags to Binh Chanh district to build "National Flag Roads" in the locality. These flags are part of the "National Flag Road" component of the "Proud of the National Flag" program.

On this occasion, the "Scholarship Program to Support Ethnic Minority and Poor Students" of Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper also awarded 90 scholarships, each worth 1 million VND, to disadvantaged students living in Binh Chanh district.

According to journalist To Dinh Tuan, Editor-in-Chief of Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper and Head of the Organizing Committee for the "Proud of My Homeland" Half-marathon, the event was held in Tan Nhut and Le Minh Xuan communes, areas rich in historical and cultural landmarks, with the aim of conveying to athletes and spectators the humanistic values ​​and glorious traditions of the nation. Athletes not only satisfied their passion for running but also learned about and further appreciated the historical lands of their homeland.

"Based on the success of the two previous editions, we believe and expect that the 'Proud of My Homeland' Half-marathon will become a familiar event for the running community nationwide, continuing to inspire the spirit of running to serve the community," Mr. To Dinh Tuan emphasized.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/lan-toa-tinh-than-chay-vi-cong-dong-196250413215022737.htm