PACERTRIP CITY EDITIONTH / RACE GUIDE

Chiang Mai Marathon

The city you want to run becomes your next trip.

Chiang Mai
TH

Nawit science · CC BY-SA 4.0Wikimedia Commons · Stefan Fussan, CC BY-SA 3.0Jakub Hałun · CC BY-SA 4.0Random username 083794703875938 · CC0

Race date in 72 days: Dec 20, 2026 Sun
City · Distance: Chiang Mai · 42.195km · 21.1km · 10km
Entry fee: THB 1,500Varies by event and entry period
Status: OpenTue, June 16, 2026 ~ Tue, December 15, 2026See how to enter ↗

Official website ↗

YouTube

D-day as of Oct 9, 2026

About the race Runner stories How to enter Course Race Prep Travel

Why you dream of this race

THE DREAM

ABOUT THE RACE

A day you'll remember,
long past the finish line.

Start line is Thapae Gate in Chiang Mai’s old town.

Full marathon starts at 3 am and ends at the Maharaja Naresuan Statue in Mae Rim District.

Course has no hills and is flat.

The 2026 competition will be held as one of the events commemorating the 730th anniversary of Chiang Mai's construction.

The road to your own record

Picture the course in advance
and find the pace that fits you.

When the city cheers

Streets lined with cheers, runners all around.
You'll be part of that scene.

The trip that follows the run

Take it slow with the finish still in you,
and meet the city all over again.

#ChiangMaiMarathon#ChiangMai#Overseas Marathon#December Marathon#Full marathon Marathon

Stories from those who ran it first.

From the joy of finishing to the tough moments — read what runners wrote themselves.

Race reports: 2

Larry HallRan in 2023 · Finish time 5:11:04

“By this point, I was running and walking with my legs cramping.”

The runner started the Chiang Mai Marathon at 3 a.m. on a flat course. Late leg cramps forced walking breaks, but aid-station support helped the runner finish in 5 hours 11 minutes 4 seconds.

Read the original on Running Club North

EmilyRan in 2017

“Every finish is an accomplishment, no matter the race or the pace.”

A Chiang Mai full-marathon participant highlighted the affordable Entry fee and easy bib pickup, while pointing out the lack of aid stations and inadequate road closures.

Read the original on Lattes & Runways

We translated a short line from each public race report and summarized the experience. Finish times are as stated by the author, and past editions may differ from this year's weather and operations.

See it on video,
feel it through their stories.

Preview the course and read what runners who went before you wrote.

2024 Full recap

JOG&JOY · Full recap

View on YouTube

This may be from a past edition. Check the organizer for this year's course and operations.

The way in that fits you

YOUR ENTRY

How to reach the start line —
start with what fits you.

Here are the ways to enter and what each requires.
Check the organizer's page for whether entries are open.

General entry

Online registration through the official partner jogandjoy.run (booking confirmed with passport details).

Registration is completed with Entry fee payment, with no special lottery or qualification requirements.

Standard entry fees by event: Full 1,500 baht, half marathon 1,200 baht, 10K 700 baht, 3K 600 baht.

Organizer's page

Official race website Entry options

From the start line to the finish

RACE WEEK

The 42.195km I'll run

Know the course and time limit, and race day comes into focus.

From the 2025 edition

Runners start · local timeFrom 03:00

Time limit10h

The start time and cut-off follow the official announcement (checked 2026-08) — re-check on the official page before entering.

Event	Start
Marathon42.195km	03:00
Half21.0975km	04:00
10K10km	05:00

1,500 THB (overseas/foreigner regular 16 Jun–31 Oct; Thai nationals 1,200 บาท in a separate table)

START

Tha Phae Gate / Tha Phae Gate

Start · Google Maps

FINISH

King Naresuan the Great Monument, Mae Rim District

Finish · Google Maps

Original course map · image.makewebeasy.net

Full marathon and half marathon start at Tha Phae Gate and finish at the statue of King Naresuan the Great in Mae Rim.

The 10km and 3km races start at Tha Phae Gate and return there.

Course has no uphill sections.

Each event starts at a different time.

Full marathon starts at 3:00 a.m., half marathon at 4:00 a.m.,

the 10km at 5:00 a.m. and the 3km Smile Run at 5:20 a.m. For full marathon and half marathon participants,

whose finish is away from the start, free shuttles run from Mae Rim back to Tha Phae Gate from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

The awards ceremonies are held at different locations by event.

The 10km and 3km ceremonies take place at Tha Phae Gate from 7:00 to 8:30 a.m.;

half marathon and full marathon ceremonies are held in Mae Rim from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m.

This is Chiang Mai’s largest annual road race.

It was originally created by alumni of Mercy School, and Muang Thai Life Assurance is the title sponsor.

More than 6,000 runners took part in 2017, while entries for the 2026 race have been received from 43 countries and regions.

AIMS Certified: Member race of the AIMS (Association of International Marathons and Distance Races)
Typical race-season temperature: around 19°C (66°F): Short sleeves — hydrate for the warmth

Participant benefits

Timing chip

Finisher medal

Event T-shirt

Finisher certificate

Bag drop

To the start line,
step by step.

Pick up your bib, check your wave.
So on race morning, you can just run.

From the 2025 edition

Pick up your bib at the expo

Open 10:00~18:00 · Bring your passport
2026-12-18~2026-12-19

Tha Phae Gate, Chiang Mai

Google Maps Directions

Stations & transport near the venue

Getting to the startTha Phae Gate, Chiang Mai old city -- nearest stop 'Thapae Gate 2' bus stop (~4min walk)
IC cardBuy or tap a Rabbit Card (or pay flat 30 THB cash into the fare box) on the RTC city bus — this is the best-verified option; don't rely on tapping a foreign contactless bank card, since that capability is only reported by a single unverified source. Where to buy
Getting to the finishKing Naresuan the Great Monument, Don Kaeo, Mae Rim District (~10+ km north of the old city)

Source · checked Aug 22, 2026 · Source · checked Aug 17, 2026

More details

Getting to the start

Tha Phae Gate, Chiang Mai old city -- nearest stop 'Thapae Gate 2' bus stop (~4min walk)

Marathon starts 3:00 AM (cutoff 10:00 AM), well before city bus service begins -- taxi/Grab/songthaew or walking from a nearby hotel required. No parking at the start.

Bib pickup at Tha Phae Gate, Dec 18-19, 2026 (bring passport). Shares start/finish venues with the Chiang Mai Half Marathon on the same morning.

Route is flat, expected temps 12-18C. Book a hotel walkable to Tha Phae Gate given the pre-dawn start.

Map

Getting to the finish

King Naresuan the Great Monument, Don Kaeo, Mae Rim District (~10+ km north of the old city)

No public transit station at the monument; runners rely on the organizer's free shuttle. Baggage checked at start is transported to and returned at the finish.

Map

Start shuttle

Free shuttle bus from the finish (King Naresuan Monument) back to Tha Phae Gate, operating roughly 6:30 AM through the morning/day for finishers. No shuttle TO the start.

IC card

Rabbit Card

RTC counters at Chiang Mai International Airport (exit door 1), Central Festival Mall, and Promenada Mall; also directly from some bus drivers (limited stock) Not accepted at the gates — get the local card above

Alternative: RTC Tourist Card (1-day / 3-day unlimited-ride pass) 1-day: 180 THB; 3-day: 400 THB — Worth buying if taking more than ~6 rides in a day (flat fare is 30 THB/ride); for occasional single rides, pay cash or use a Rabbit Card instead. RTC Smart Bus flat fare is 30 THB/ride; cash requires having coins as the machine doesn't give change reliably.

Songthaews (red trucks) are separate, cash-only (~30-40 THB), paid to the driver on exit, no app or card. One 2026 blog post claims RTC buses added contactless EMV bank-card acceptance, but this was not corroborated by multiple independent sources — treat as unconfirmed.

Where to buy

Source · checked Aug 22, 2026 Source · checked Aug 17, 2026

READY TO RUN

From race morning to after the finish.

Your start time, fuel and bag drop.
Know them ahead and the run feels easier.

The competition will be held on Sunday, December 20th at Thapae Gate.

Full marathon departs at 3 a.m., time limit at 10 a.m., and half marathon departs at 4 a.m.,

time limit at 7:30 a.m., and both pass through finish at King Naresuan Monument in Mae Rim District.

The 10km run starts at 5:00 am and the 3km Smile Run starts from Thapae Gate at 5:20 am and finishes at the same place.

Course consists of flat land without hills, and the temperature on the day of the competition is forecast to be 12-18°C.

For full marathon·half marathon participants passing through finish from Mae Rim, a free shuttle bus back to Thapae Gate will run from 6:30 to 10:30 a.m.

Bib and participation supplies will be distributed at Thapae Gate from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on December 18-19, and you must bring your passport when picking it up.

You can check whether you are registered or not by using your passport number on the official application site.

Times are local to Chiang Mai. Check the latest official information before the race.

A trip built around the race

STAY A LITTLE

MAKE IT A RUNTRIP

The race is one day,
the trip can be longer.

From a hotel that makes race morning easy,
to the meals and views you'll enjoy with the medal on.

Roongruang Hotel

Hotel · 113m

8.7/10(32)

View on Booking.com

Chiang Mai Tha Phae Gate Spa & Massage

THB 529

Chiang Mai Marathon

About Chiang Mai Marathon — what makes it special

A day you'll remember,long past the finish line.

The road to your own record

When the city cheers

The trip that follows the run