Standard Chartered Marathon Heritage Race announce date for 2025 season

Standard Chartered Marathon Heritage Race officially kicks off 2025 season

The 2025 season promises to bring breakthroughs and enhance athletes' experiences, with the start-finish line at the Quan Ngua Sports Complex in Hanoi. For the first time, runners will experience a spectacular 10km stretch of flat land heading to the finish line past West Lake, followed by a straight path leading to the finish line. This will be an ideal route for runners to accelerate, push their limits, improve personal records, and immerse themselves in the sacred atmosphere of Thang Long, Dong Do, and Hanoi as they stride around West Lake, passing dozens of cultural and historical heritage sites.

The Standard Chartered Hanoi Heritage Marathon 2025 will maintain its four core distance events, namely 42.195km, 21.0975km, 10km, and 5km, along with a special category for children aged 6-10 years.

Nguyen Tri, CEO of DHA Vietnam, the owner and direct organiser of the marathon, shared, "The 2025 season introduces a brand-new start-finish point, never before chosen by any major race in Hanoi. Looking towards a future with tens of thousands of participants like other Standard Chartered Marathon races (Kuala Lumpur 40,000 runners, Singapore 50,000 runners, Hong Kong, China 70,000 runners), setting the start-finish line at Quan Ngua Sports Complex is the optimal choice for a rapidly growing marathon both in participant numbers and organisational quality, elevating the race each year."

As the 10^th race in the esteemed Standard Chartered Marathon global series, the Standard Chartered Hanoi Marathon Heritage Race will continue to emphasise Vietnam’s status on the global marathon map.

"In 2024, the race attracted over 1,300 international runners from more than 50 countries and territories, accounting for 10 per cent of total participants. With a route passing through Hanoi’s renowned heritage sites during the most beautiful season of the year, this event is a fantastic opportunity for travelling runners to experience Hanoi and Vietnam. Every runner can become a tourism ambassador by sharing their experiences from each step of the race. We are delighted to see an increasing number of international registrations for the 2025 season," said Tri.

The Standard Chartered Hanoi Marathon Heritage Race fosters a spirit of sportsmanship and community sustainability, welcoming all running enthusiasts, from professional athletes to disabled runners, international participants, and the expat community in Vietnam. With the message "Together, we run further", the marathon inspires people to push beyond their limits and conquer higher goals.

Trinh Nhu Quynh, head of Corporate Affairs, Brand, and Marketing at Standard Chartered Vietnam, stated, "We are honoured to have been the official sponsor of the Standard Chartered Hanoi Heritage Marathon since 2024, reaffirming our long-term commitment to Vietnam, continuing our 120-year journey in the country. The marathon is an opportunity for us to build a connected community, promote health, and spread a positive sports spirit together. We take pride in partnering with DHA Vietnam to bring a world-class marathon to Vietnam, where every step contributes to meaningful social responsibility activities that everyone can participate in."

At the official kick-off ceremony for the 2025 season, the Organising Board and Standard Chartered Vietnam also launched the "Collect old shoes, exchange for new shoes" initiative, helping underprivileged children in remote areas through clean, used shoes. This programme was successfully implemented in the 2024 season, donating over 300 pairs of shoes to students at Na Chi Primary & Secondary School (Xin Man district, Ha Giang) and Tan Lien Primary & Secondary School (Huong Hoa district, Quang Tri). For the 2025 season, the organising board has launched the initiative early to gather even more shoes for children in need. The board is encouraging runners to keep their old shoes, which will be collected during the three-day event (November 7-9) and cleaned onsite.

The 2025 season will also introduce a brand-new approach to selecting pacemakers to enhance quality and professionalism. With extensive experience in supporting major marathon events in China, Xtep, the exclusive apparel sponsor of the Standard Chartered Hanoi Heritage Marathon, will collaborate directly with DHA Vietnam to recruit and train pacemakers for the half-marathon and marathon categories. They will also invite athletes from countries with strong marathon traditions to compete in Vietnam.

Dao Thi Thu Huong, deputy CEO of Xtep Vietnam, shared, "Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Xtep had coordinated multiple times with DHA to bring elite international coaches to interact, share experiences, and conduct training sessions for runners and pacemakers. These coaches are highly experienced and have trained runners for marathons with tens of thousands of participants in China. We are excited to resume these activities from the 2025 season. This season also marks the seventh consecutive year Xtep has partnered with the Heritage Marathon series."

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