Running Race «Pocari Sweat Run 2026»

   A course linking two of Hanoi's biggest parks, four distances and roughly 5,000 runners converging on one finish arch: the capital gets an international-standard road race of its own, after five editions held only in Ho Chi Minh City.

   Pocari Sweat Run is the race series run by the Japanese ion-supply drink brand of the same name, and 2026 is its sixth Vietnamese season — the first staged in the north, under the line “The New Start Of Better”. The half marathon starts from Công viên Thống Nhất in the city centre; the shorter distances start at Công viên Hòa Bình, some 10 km north-west of the Old Quarter, where all four distances finish. Cash prizes total 190 million VND.

   The essentials:

• — four distances — 3 km, 5 km, 10 km and 21 km, with staggered starts between 03:30 and 06:45 on the morning of 13 September;
• — the half marathon leaves from Thong Nhat Park; the 10 km, 5 km and 3 km leave from Hoa Binh Park, and every distance finishes there;
• — on 12 September, the day before the race, Hoa Binh Park hosts the expo — race-kit collection, opening ceremony and an afternoon talkshow;
• — the race kit holds a running tee, tote bag, bib belt and medal; 21 km finishers also receive a towel and a separate finisher shirt;
• — prize money reaches 12 million VND for each half-marathon winner, with a separate age-group ranking across ten categories over that distance.

   The elite field is led by Hoang Thi Ngoc Hoa (Hoàng Thị Ngọc Hoa), a four-time national champion and SEA Games 31 marathon bronze medallist, and Hoang Nguyen Thanh (Hoàng Nguyên Thanh), SEA Games 31 champion and holder of the Vietnam National Sports Games 2026 record at 2:22:19. Organisers expect more Vietnamese elites to enter before September.

   You don't need that kind of form to take part. The 3 km is aimed at first-timers and families with children; 5 km and 10 km suit regular recreational runners; the half marathon finally gives northern Vietnam a serious road distance. Each distance has its own start time, a shared finish and a medal in the kit.

   The series began in Singapore in 2012 and spread across Asia; the Vietnamese leg has been running since 2019 and has drawn more than 30,000 entries across its seasons. Otsuka Nutraceutical Vietnam owns the race, VRace (Vũ Media) — the operator behind Tay Ho Half Marathon and Trang An Marathon — handles delivery, and the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports is the city partner.

   Hoa Binh Park, the finish venue, opened in October 2010 for the 1,000th anniversary of Thăng Long – Hanoi: more than 20 hectares of greenery, a 5.4-hectare lake and a 30-metre peace statue at the southern entrance. Thong Nhat Park, where the half marathon begins, is the large central park beside Bảy Mẫu lake.

   Entries close as soon as the field fills, and pricing steps up to its final tier on 17 August. Only runners who complete payment by 25 August get their name printed on the bib. Age minimums vary by distance: 6 for 3 km, 10 for 5 km, 12 for 10 km and 16 for the half marathon; under-18s need a guardian's signed waiver, and under-12s must be accompanied throughout.

   Questions go to [email protected], answered on weekdays from 08:30 to 17:30.

   Whether you are chasing a first finish line or a faster half, a September morning in Hanoi gives you something concrete to train for.