Speaking at the opening ceremony on July 17 at East Sea Park, Le Van Anh, a representative of the organizing committee, said this year’s event recorded a 50% increase in participation compared with the previous edition. The race also drew elite athletes from Kenya, Ethiopia and Japan, as well as runners from across Europe.
According to the organizers, the participation of international runners contributed to the event’s competitive standard, while recreational runners helped promote Da Nang as a destination for sports tourism.
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Tao Viet Hai, Deputy Director of Da Nang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, speaks at an event as part of the Read Da Nang International Marathon Herbalife Cup 2026. Photo by Duc Dong |
Tao Viet Hai, deputy director of the Da Nang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said the turnout reflected the growing popularity of running in Vietnam as well as the appeal of both Da Nang and the Read Marathon series.
Hai described the event as one of the city’s annual sporting highlights, saying it encourages public participation in running while showcasing Da Nang to domestic and international visitors.
He also noted that the race route crossed three of the city’s landmark bridges—Dragon Bridge, Thuan Phuoc Bridge and Tran Thi Ly Bridge—offering runners views of the city, river, sea and surrounding mountains.
“With the support of local authorities, the organizers, sponsors and the community, VM Da Nang has become one of Vietnam’s major marathon events,” he said.
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Shimanovskiy Rostislav (Russia) completes the 21km in 1 hour 39 minutes. Photo courtesy of Read Marathon |
According to the organizers, the race expo at East Sea Park was expanded to 54 booths this year, allowing participants to visit exhibitors, join promotional activities and receive gifts from partners including Herbalife, Puma, Velosar, Kiri, Garmin and Coco Xim.
Race kits were also expanded, with runners in the full marathon (42 km) receiving 11 items.
All four race distances started and finished at Tien Son Sports Complex, a change intended to improve the event atmosphere and logistics. Traffic management, crowd control and security plans were also implemented to accommodate the 13,000 participants.
“I hope all 13,000 runners created memorable experiences while running through the streets of Da Nang,” said Le Van Anh of the organizing committee, adding that the organizers hope participation will continue to grow in future editions.
Herbalife was the title sponsor of this year’s event. Nguyen Thanh Dat, communications director of Herbalife Vietnam, said VM Da Nang 2026 marked the company’s 17th partnership with the Read Marathon series since 2022.
He said the company aims to promote active lifestyles and balanced nutrition through its support of the marathon series.
Hoai Phuong