The Course: Out North, Then a Loop Round the Lakes
The 2025 half marathon started and finished at Dataran Putrajaya, between the Perbadanan Putrajaya building and the Palace of Justice [1][2]. On the official route map it heads out along the west side of the lake over Jambatan Seri Saujana at about 2 km, runs north past the SPRM building to a turn between 7 km and 8 km, and comes back the same way to 14 km. It then loops south over Jambatan Seri Gemilang at 15 km, past PICC, round onto Persiaran Timur at 17 km and 18 km, and back north over Jambatan Seri Setia at 20 km to the finish [2].
The timing mats were at 7.5 km, 14.6 km, 19.3 km and 20.3 km [3]. Garmin publishes no elevation profile. On the out-and-back to the turn, runners going out and coming back share the same road [2].
The Weather: Humid and Windless Until 8am
KLIA, about 23 km south of the start, recorded 27°C at the 5am flag-off, with a dew point of 25°C, 89% humidity and no wind [4]. It barely moved for three hours: 26°C to 27°C and 89% to 94% humidity from 5.30am to 8am, with the wind at 0 to 2 knots [4]. Then it warmed: 28°C at 8.30am, 29°C at 9am and 31°C at 9.30am [4].
A dew point of 25°C is at the oppressive end for runners, because sweat hardly evaporates. The median Cruise half marathoner finished in about 2:55, so reached the line after 8am, as the temperature began to rise; a four-hour Cruise runner finished after 9am at 29°C [3][4]. There was a water sprinkler at about 16 km on the 21 km route [2].
Speed or Cruise: How the Waves Work
Every entry in 2025 chose a Speed or a Cruise wave. Speed is the competitive wave, the only one eligible for cash prizes; Cruise is the leisure wave with a longer time limit [5][1]. The half marathon Speed wave started at 5am with 2 hours 30 minutes to finish; Cruise started at 5.10am with four hours. In the 10 km, Speed started at 6.45am with 1 hour 15 minutes and Cruise at 6.55am with 2 hours 30 minutes [2][1]. You cannot change category or distance after registering, and entries cannot be transferred or refunded [5].
The results suggest the Speed limit was not enforced as a hard cut-off. Of the 1,993 Speed half marathoners, 1,444 finished inside 2 hours 30 on the gun, and the other 549 are still listed, the slowest in 4:12:39 [3]. In the Cruise half, 4,489 of 4,540 finished inside four hours, the slowest in 4:10:55 [3]. The organiser's FAQ says finisher items go only to runners who complete the race [5].
Pacers ran the half marathon at 1:45, 2:00, 2:15 and 2:30, and the 10 km at 50, 60 and 70 minutes [2].
Aid Stations and Roads
The 21 km map marks eight aid stations, about every 2 to 3 km, and every one has water, a medic and toilets. Four also have isotonic drink, one has bananas at about 12 km, and the far turn near 7.5 km has aminoVITAL. There is a prayer room (surau) at 9.5 km and 14.4 km [2].
Roads on and around the route were closed or disrupted from 4.50am to 10am, with traffic sent to the Presint 17 flyover and Lebuh Bestari [2]. Baggage drop at the race village opened at 3.30am, and bags had to be collected by 10am [2].
How Fast the Field Is
Garmin put the turnout at over 13,000 [6][7]. The official results list 11,034 timed finishers: 6,533 in the half marathon and 4,501 in the 10 km [3]. The men's open half marathon was won by Ni Jia Yeow in 1:14:24, ahead of Najib Mooiz of Singapore in 1:16:26 and Gordon Lim of Singapore in 1:17:28. Chi-Wen Hung won the women's open in 1:27:57 from Khanh Linh Vu in 1:28:34 and Noor Amelia Musa in 1:31:15 [3]. The veteran titles, for runners aged 40 and over, went to Muhaizar Mohamad in 1:20:12 and Tiffany Lee Siok Chin in 1:34:05 [3][6].
Behind them the field thins fast. Tenth place in the 21 km open was 1:21:04 for men and 1:42:08 for women, and in the veterans 1:32:58 and 1:54:03 [3]. The women's open Speed field had only 201 finishers and the women's veteran Speed field 115 [3]. Cash prizes run five deep in each 21 km category, from RM1,000 to RM300, and podiums are limited to two non-Malaysians per category [2]. Fifth place, worth RM300, took 1:18:51 in the men's open but 1:34:14 in the women's open and 1:49:34 in the women's veterans [3][2]. In the 10 km, 1,071 ran the Speed wave and 3,430 the Cruise [3].
The top 50 men and women in each distance also got a Garmin-branded flask [2]. The winner said running alongside thousands of other runners pushed him to his local best [8].
Race Weekend Logistics
Race packs were collected two weeks before the race, on Saturday and Sunday 18 and 19 October, from 10am to 7pm at Event Hall 2 of The Starling Mall in Petaling Jaya, with no collection afterwards [2][1]. Postal delivery was offered, arriving about a week before the race [5].
The 21 km cost RM85 in a 72-hour launch sale, RM95 and RM105 at the early-bird rates and RM110 at the normal rate; the 10 km cost RM65 to RM95. The compulsory accident insurance (RM4) and delivery were extra [1]. Every entry included a dry-fit event tee, a finisher medal, a timed bib and an e-certificate, and half marathon finishers also got a finisher tee [1][5].
Should You Enter the 2026 Race?
Yes, if you want a large, well-supported half marathon or 10 km near Kuala Lumpur and value frequent aid and a four-hour limit over a fast time in cool air. In 2025 a woman running around 1:34 could win cash.
Think twice if you need an elevation profile before you commit, or you cannot get to Petaling Jaya for a pack collection two weeks before race day.
The 2026 race is on Sunday 1 November, now under the Garmin Run Marathon Series name, and moves its start to the front of the Federal Territory Syariah Court in Presint 3 [9]. The 2026 registration lists no separate Speed and Cruise categories, the normal price is RM125 for the 21 km and RM105 for the 10 km, and the 21 km open category now takes runners from 16 [9]. Garmin's 2026 route page gives the 21 km four hours and the 10 km two and a half, but its route maps were still marked coming soon when this was written [10].
Nobody from this site ran the race. This review draws on the organiser's race guide, FAQ, rules and registration pages, the official results, airport weather records and post-race reporting in English and Malay.