The figure represents an increase from 91 sub-3 finishers in 2024 to 134 this year, including eight women, a notable rise compared with previous domestic marathons.
Beyond the sub-3 group, the race also recorded 1,905 athletes finishing the full marathon in under four hours, indicating a broader improvement in performance among mass-participation runners.
Dudweezil Staelens, Tessa Jonckheere, and Ivan Coene raise the Belgian flag at Read Marathon Hai Phong on Dec. 21, 2025. Photo courtesy of Read Marathon |
In marathon running, sub-3 benchmark is widely regarded as elite, as only a small proportion of marathon runners reach it. According to Runner’s World, approximately 2–4% of full marathon participants worldwide break the three-hour barrier, which requires maintaining an average pace of about 4 minutes and 26 seconds per kilometer.
Because of these demands, sub-3 performances are often used as a reference point for elite or entry-level qualification standards at major international marathons, including age-group benchmarks comparable to those of the Boston Marathon. Achieving this time generally requires sustained training and consistency over several years.
The number of sub-3 finishers also reflects race conditions and organization. Maintaining a pace of 4:26 per kilometer typically requires a course with limited intersections, sufficient width, and minimal disruption from traffic.
Hoang Viet Vi Ly beat Kenyan runner Kipruto Kemboi and Trinh Minh Tam to win the men’s 42km race at Read Marathon Hai Phong.
The Hai Phong course is relatively flat, with fewer steep sections, and the race was held in late December under stable weather conditions with an early start time. These factors contributed to favorable running conditions for high-performance athletes.
In a regional comparison, Read Marathon Hai Phong ranks among events that have produced a relatively high number of sub-3 results. At the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2025, which attracted around 50,000 participants and 8,932 full-marathon runners, 69 athletes finished under three hours. Techcombank Ho Chi Minh City Marathon 2025 recorded 48 sub-3 finishers out of approximately 4,000 full-marathon participants, while the Ha Long Heritage Marathon reported 86 last month.
In the men’s race, Hoang Viet Vi Ly led the sub-3 group with a finishing time of 2:26:44, followed by Trinh Minh Tam in 2:28:42. Bui Van Phu was the final runner to break the three-hour mark, finishing in 2:59:59.
In the women’s category, Pham Thi Hong Le won the race with a time of 2:42:20, marking her 18th title at a Read Marathon event. Seven other women also finished under three hours, indicating a broader depth of elite female performances compared with previous domestic races.
Beyond elite results, Read Marathon Hai Phong 2025 attracted about 14,000 participants, an increase of roughly 1.4 times compared with the previous edition. For the first time, registrations for the full marathon exceeded those for the half marathon, suggesting growing interest in long-distance and performance-oriented running among participants.
With 134 sub-3 finishers, the event set a new domestic benchmark and further positioned Hai Phong as a competitive venue for runners targeting personal bests at the end of the year.
Hai Long
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