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Marathon running events are increasingly positioned as more than sports competitions, evolving into touchpoints linking sport, travel, and consumer activity. When organized professionally, large-scale races can help activate and shape a broader, more sustainable sports economy.
The World Economic Forum estimates that the global sports economy generates annual revenues of about $2.3 trillion, representing nearly 2% of global GDP, and is projected to reach $3.7 trillion by 2030. Large marathon events contribute hundreds of millions of dollars each year through tourism spending and related services.
Examples cited include the 2024 New York City Marathon, which contributed about $934 million to the New York City economy, including more than $425 million from visitor spending. In Europe, the London Marathon contributes £250 million to the London economy and is described as the world’s largest charitable fundraising event, with total donations reaching £87.3 million. In Asia, the Tokyo Marathon 2025 generated about $100 million in additional consumer spending over three days.
According to David Mann, Asia-Pacific Chief Economist at Mastercard, large-scale sporting events can function as measurable economic catalysts. He said the 2025 running events show how a combination of domestic demand and international tourism can drive wider spending, adding that for economies prioritizing tourism-led growth, understanding how sports events affect consumer mobility is increasingly important for policy and investment decisions.
Vietnam is described as being at an early stage of developing its sports economy, with market demand forming but supply chains not yet fully in place. The sports economy in Vietnam is reported to be growing at an annual rate of 8% to 15%, with forecasts of $8–10 billion by 2030 and $20–30 billion by 2040.
In this context, the running movement has expanded in recent years, supporting the emergence of more large-scale marathons. The Ho Chi Minh City Marathon 2026 recorded nearly 11,000 participants domestically and internationally. The share of foreign participants rose by 8% from the previous season, reaching 26% of total participants. Runners from 75 countries and territories took part.
The article also highlights constraints affecting Vietnam’s sports economy. It notes that development policies and incentives to encourage sports investment or hosting major events remain inadequate. According to the Vietnam Athletics Federation, more than 100 annual running events are organized domestically each year, but only one event has more than 20,000 participants (based on organizers’ data).
It further states that many events still lack statistics on their economic contributions and tourism impacts to localities, limiting the ability to measure and compare outcomes across races.
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