The Course: Two Climbs Early, Then the Coast and the Bridge
The marathon starts and finishes on the site of the old Bintulu airport, on Jalan Tun Ahmad Zaidi in the town centre [1][2]. On the official route map it first loops south-east of the town to about 10 km, then heads north past the BDA Iconic Building at 15 km to its far end near Kemena Pacific Hospital at about 20 km [1]. It comes back along the coast past Pantai Tanjung Batu at about 25 km and the Tumbina zoo, and after 30 km crosses the Tun Taib Mahmud Bridge to a U-turn beyond 32.5 km, recrosses it after 35 km and finishes through the town [1].
It is not flat. The map gives 235 m of elevation gain, and its profile shows two climbs to about 55 m, one around 5 to 6 km and one around 15 km, where the route passes the BDA building [1]. After about 17 km the profile stays low, with only small rises between 30 and 35 km, the stretch over the bridge and back [1]. Save something for the second half rather than racing the early hills.
The organiser said the 2026 route would show off Bintulu's coastline, the Bintulu Port area and the town's main landmarks [3], and the marathon and half-marathon courses were certified by World Athletics through AIMS [4]. The bridge opened on 23 July 2025, and the 2025 race was the first to cross it, with views of the Kemena river mouth and the town; the organiser had a kompang group play on the bridge that year [5].
The Weather: Saturated Air and Thunderstorms
Bintulu airport, about 5 km south-west of the town centre, recorded 27°C with a dew point of 25°C, 89% humidity and no wind at 1am, when the marathon started [6]. From 2am to 5am it was 26°C and 94%, and at 6am and 7am 25°C with 100% humidity [6]. Thunderstorms were reported at the airport at 4am, 5am, 6am, 8am and 9am. At 8am, when the marathon closed, it was 26°C and 94%; by 9am it had reached 29°C [6].
A dew point of 25°C is at the top of what runners find oppressive: sweat barely evaporates, and the cooler 25°C of the early morning brings little relief at 100% humidity. The temperature barely moved before the cut-off; the humidity and the storms were the problem. The 2025 race also had rain early in the morning before the flag-off [5], so pack for a wet run on both counts: shoes and socks you can run in wet, and something to keep your phone dry.
Aid Stations, Cut-off and Roads
On the marathon map there is water at almost every 2.5 km mark from 2.5 km to 40 km, toilets at about every second station, medics at the start and at 15, 25 and 35 km, and prayer rooms (surau) at 30 and 35 km [1]. The seven-hour limit means the marathon closes at 8am [1].
The 2026 start times and limits for the half marathon, 10 km and 6 km were not on the marathon map. In 2025 the limits were four hours for the half marathon, 2 hours 15 minutes for the 10 km and 1 hour 30 minutes for the 6 km, with the same seven hours for the marathon [7].
A road-closure notice posted two days before the race listed five sections: Jalan Tun Ahmad Zaidi at the old airport site from 8pm on the Saturday, and from 1am to 10am on race morning the rest of Jalan Tun Ahmad Zaidi, the road from its traffic lights to the Tun Taib Mahmud Bridge, the link from the Jalan Kuala Tatau roundabout, and Jalan Tun Razak [2]. No other roads on the route are named in the notice [2], so check the 2027 notice for how much of the course is closed.
How Big and How Fast
The 2026 race was the fourth edition; 2025 was the third [8]. The organiser counted 10,472 entries, above its target of 10,000 [4]: 10,011 Malaysians and 461 runners from 22 other countries [9]. Foreign runners came from Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Australia and the United Kingdom, among others [10]. Runners ranged from six to 81 years old; the biggest age group was 31 to 40, with 4,279 runners, and the field was 5,704 men and 4,768 women [9]. The race has grown fast: 3,535 runners in 2023, 5,800 in 2024 [7] and 8,951 in 2025 [5]. KuchingBorneo put it on a par with the Miri Marathon, which had about 10,000 in April 2026 [11].
Edwin Yebei Kiptoo won the men's open marathon in 2:41:35, ahead of Muhamad Haziq Hamzah and Syahrullah Safri [9]; ArenaMalaysia said Haziq also took the national title [12]. Nur Fatin Syuhada Tamsi won the women's open marathon, and the veteran marathons went to Martin Onesmus Martin and Lau Moi Chee [9]. In the half marathon, Andy Yeo Jia Wei and Hui Khiing Yu won the open races, and Jamin Ekai Ngaukon and Jackline Musyawa Nzivo the veteran races [9]. BDA said entries rose in the competitive 42 km, 21 km and 10 km races [9].
Kiptoo's winning time was about 17 minutes slower than in 2025, when Ethiopia's Tariku Abdi won in 2:24:23 and Kenya's Alice Koigi won the women's race in 2:54:33 [5]. In 2025 the purse was RM100,000, paid ten deep in each category, with RM7,000 for each open winner, RM3,000 for each veteran winner and a RM2,000 bonus for the first Malaysian man and woman in the open races [7].
Race Weekend Logistics
Race packs were handed out at an expo at Boulevard Shopping Mall Bintulu from 30 July to 1 August [3]. It did not go smoothly. BDA apologised for delays on the busiest collection day, caused by an unexpected technical fault in its system and traffic congestion around the venue [9]. More than 4,000 runners still collected their packs that day, the most of the three days, and collection finished at about 4pm; BDA said it would review the layout, traffic flow, network system and choice of venue for future editions [9]. Until that is shown to work, collect on the first day if you can and allow for traffic.
The race is run by the Bintulu Development Authority with the Bintulu Resident's Office and Bintulu Port Holdings [3]. In 2026 the race shirt and medal were designed around Sarawak's identity and culture, the goodie bag was plastic-free under a No Plastic Bag campaign, and a number of Bintulu coffee shops and restaurants gave 10% off to runners showing a finisher medal [9]. The low-waste push goes back to reusable cups and paperless registration in 2025 [8].
With the marathon starting at 1am from the town centre, stay close to the old airport site and allow for the road closures, which began on Jalan Tun Ahmad Zaidi at 8pm the evening before [2].
Should You Enter the 2027 Race?
Yes, if you want a large, certified marathon or half marathon in Sarawak with a generous seven-hour marathon limit, an international front of the field and a new bridge on the course. Water at almost every 2.5 km suits slower runners in the humidity.
Think twice if you want a flat course for a personal best, a start after a normal night's sleep, or a dry morning. The early climbs and a dew point of 25°C make it a race to run by effort.
A 2027 date had not been announced when this was written. Check the start times and limits for your distance, and the road-closure notice, before you book.
Nobody from this site ran the race. This review draws on the official route map, the organiser's and state government's announcements, a local road-closure notice, airport weather records, and local reporting in English and Malay.