On December 7th 2014, runners from Vietnam and a number of other countries around the world will join together in Hanoi and “race for Vietnam’s wildlife” in the 2014 Song Hong Half Marathon. The annual marathon is expected to attract hundreds of runners of all levels and abilities with proceeds generated from the race going to support Education for Nature Vietnam (ENV), a local organization and leader in efforts to combat the illegal hunting and trade of wildlife in Vietnam.
“This year will not just be about participants having fun and running the 21km, 10km or 5km race,” says Pablo Garcia, Event manager of the 2014 Song Hong Half Marathon. “The 2014 marathon will also contribute to the important cause of protecting wildlife by helping to raise awareness about the threats to Vietnam’s wildlife and encouraging the public not to consume foods or medicines made from wildlife.”
The exciting street running event will take place amongst the safe and tranquil streets of the Ciputra estate and the picturesque shores of West Lake in Hanoi, early in the morning on Sunday 7th December. As in previous years, there are several different distances for runners to choose from, and a kids’ fun run will also be included. Last year’s event attracted a fantastic 357 entries across all categories, and this year both the Red River Runners and ENV hope for even more participants, particularly amongst Hanoi residents.
The goal this year is to increase the number of runners to more than 500 and raise more than 5,000 USD to help protect Vietnam’s Wildlife.
ENV will co-host the marathon to help promote the race amongst the Vietnamese and international communities in Hanoi, and will also provide volunteers the day of the marathon to help guide the runners around the course.
Vietnam is home to many endangered species which are under serious threat as a result of the illegal wildlife trade.
Funds raised by the race will go to support ENV’s essential work in three key areas: reducing demand for wildlife products through innovative public events and media campaigns; engaging the public in reporting wildlife crime and strengthening law enforcement efforts; and advocating improvements in law and policy aimed at strengthening legal protection for wildlife.
If you wish to participate in the 2014 Song Hong half marathon or any of the other distance races, please register online at https://redriverrunners.dagoba.co/pages/register-for-hong-song-2014-2.
Important race information is updated at http://redriverrunners.com/song-hong-race/.
More details about The Race for Vietnam’s Wildlife 2014 can be found at
http://redriverrunners.com
https://www.facebook.com/redriverrunners.hanoi
The Song Hong Half Marathon gratefully acknowledges Ciputra Hanoi, the Elite Fitness Center, Super Sports, CBRE, UNIS, OHL, Vietnam Mountain Marathon, Salomon, Click Space, DK Engineering, the Family Medical Practice Hospital, Rent a Bike and Viet Climb as sponsors for the event, as well as the Word magazine for assistance in publicizing and promoting the event.