VietNamNet Bridge – Nguyen Van Sy and Le Thi Hang from Thanh Hoa did not let heavy rain stop them from winning the final round of the 35th Run for Peace.

Pavement pounders: Thousands of athletes joined the 35th Run for Peace despite heavy rain yesterday.

Ha Noi won the team prize. Cash prizes of nearly VND100 million (US$6,000) were awarded to the winners.

Yesterday was a special day for Lamphay Phanpadit of Laos, who was the men’s winner among the foreign runners in the event. He said happily: “Tomorrow is my birthday, so I am determined to be the winner in this event. This is the most meaningful gift for my 23rd birthday.”

Nearly 1,200 athletes gathered at Hoan Kiem Lake yesterday for the final round of the event Thousands of runners competed in the qualifying rounds, which started in June and finished by the end of September.

About 300 foreigners who live and work in Hanoi registered to join in the amateur section, which was a 3.5km run for men and 1.75km run for women. Professional athletes ran an 8.7km course in the men’s event and 5.2 km in the women’s.

The race was to mark the 54th anniversary of Ha Noi’s liberation which is on October 10th.

The event also celebrated the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Run Day, which was established on June 23, 1948.

(Source: Viet Nam News)