My marathons

Chiang Mai Marathon

03:003:00 AM Chiang Mai
Tha Phae Gate
Tha Phae Gate. Photograph by Douglas Perkins, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The course

The marathon starts at 3 AM on 20 December 2026 at Tha Phae Gate in Chiang Mai, finishes at the King Naresuan the Great Monument in Mae Rim District, and has a cut-off of 10 AM.

The course in short 2 lines
  • A 3 AM start at Tha Phae Gate and a finish at Mae Rim3 AM start at Tha Phae Gate, finish at Mae Rim, free shuttle back, 10 AM cut-off.
  • A flat route and 12 to 18 degrees at the startFlat route with no hills; 12 to 18 degrees Celsius on race day, per the organiser.
Course notes 2 short reads on the course
Whole courseConditionsA 3 AM start at Tha Phae Gate and a finish at Mae Rim3 AM start at Tha Phae Gate, finish at Mae Rim, free shuttle back, 10 AM cut-off.

The marathon and half marathon both start at Tha Phae Gate, the marathon at 3 AM and the half at 4 AM, and finish at the King Naresuan the Great Monument in Mae Rim District. A free shuttle brings runners back to Tha Phae Gate between 6:30 and 10:30 AM. The 10K and the 3K Smile Run start and finish at the gate. The marathon cut-off is 10 AM and the half marathon cut-off 7:30 AM.

Sourced

Whole courseConditionsA flat route and 12 to 18 degrees at the startFlat route with no hills; 12 to 18 degrees Celsius on race day, per the organiser.

Under its running map, the organiser’s page states that the route is flat with no hills and that the temperature on race day is 12 to 18 degrees Celsius, and asks runners to arrive at the start on time. The 2026 edition is the 730th anniversary of Chiang Mai city, with finisher T-shirts for every marathon finisher and medals for the top 100 men and top 100 women in the marathon and half marathon.

Sourced

Race fuel

Energy gel
An energy gel sachet
Illustration · drag to turn

5 gels for Chiang Mai, plus 1 spare

Finish

One every 40 minutes, by the clock:

  1. km 7mile 4.4
  2. km 14.1mile 8.7
  3. km 21.1mile 13.1
  4. km 28.1mile 17.5
  5. km 35.2mile 21.8

Our pick: SiS BETA Fuel gel, box of 6, strawberry and lime. 40 g of carbohydrate a gel, about twice a usual gel, from two kinds of sugar your body takes up side by side.

Easy to forget on race morning: pack them with your bib the night before.

Order by 29 November to test them on two long runs first.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

In Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Salted Caramel, 24-pack, the best seller there.

Outside the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the UK and Ireland, Spain and Portugal, Italy, the rest of the EU and Canada the button opens GU Energy Gel, Chocolate Outrage, 24-pack on Amazon.com, the best seller there.

Anti-chafe
Compeed Anti-blister stick
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed anti-blister stick, 8 ml

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

An invisible layer before the start keeps seams, straps and shoes from rubbing skin raw.

Put it on before you leave for the start: heels and toes, inner thighs, under a bra or heart-rate strap.

Try it on a long run first, like everything you use on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Number belt
A race number belt
Illustration · drag to turn

Compressport Race Belt

Holds your bib without safety pins through your top, with loops for up to 8 gels.

Clip the bib on the night before, so it goes on with your shorts in the morning.

Keep the number on the front, where officials and photographers can see it.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Electrolytes
A tube of electrolyte tablets
Illustration · drag to turn

SiS Hydro electrolyte tablets, tube of 20

One tablet in a bottle puts back some of the salt you sweat out.

One tablet in 500 ml of water in the hour before the start.

Only if you have used them in training: nothing new on race day.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.

Blister plasters
Compeed Blister plasters, medium, 6
Photo: Compeed

Compeed

Compeed blister plasters, medium, 6

Best selling on Amazon amazon.nl, read 2 Nov

One in a pocket cushions a blister if one starts.

Put it on clean, dry skin and leave it until it comes off by itself.

Give a couple to whoever comes to cheer, so they are there at the km you need them.

Get it on Amazon

We earn a small fee if you buy through these links. The price is the same.
distance
42.2 km26.2 mi
cut-off
7:00 h

Race week

Timetable

Sunday 20 December Race day

  1. 03:003:00 AM

    Marathon start Tha Phae Gate. Finish at the King Naresuan the Great Monument, Mae Rim District.

  2. 06:306:30 AM–10:3010:30 AM

    Free shuttle back to Tha Phae Gate From the marathon and half marathon finish at the King Naresuan the Great Monument.
Cut-offs and other races (5)

  1. 04:004:00 AM

    Half marathon start Tha Phae Gate. Finish at the King Naresuan the Great Monument, Mae Rim District.

  2. 05:005:00 AM

    10K start Tha Phae Gate. Starts and finishes at Tha Phae Gate.

  3. 05:205:20 AM

    3K Smile Run start Tha Phae Gate. Non-competitive; starts and finishes at Tha Phae Gate.

  4. 07:307:30 AM

    Half marathon cut-off Clock time of the half marathon cut-off.

  5. 10:0010:00 AM

    Marathon cut-off Clock time of the marathon cut-off, seven hours after the 3 AM start.

Times as published by the organiser, in Chiang Mai time, checked .

Add to calendar .ics file, times in Chiang Mai time

Trip

Getting a place

Entry through the organiser

Entry details on the organiser’s site →

The organiser, a third party. We take no entries and have no part in the race.

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