The Course: One Flat Loop, Mostly in the Dark
The marathon is a single loop that starts and finishes at Likas Sports Complex. It heads through the city centre first, past the old port at 2.5 km, Wisma Kewangan at 7.5 km and the Kuan Loon Tian temple at 10 km, then runs inland through the suburbs, past City Mall at 15 km and Metro Town at 17.5 km, to its far end near the fire-brigade housing complex at 30 km. From there it comes back along Jalan UMS at 32.5 km and Alamesra at 35 km, and finishes on the coast road past Menara Kinabalu and the city mosque roundabout [1].
The organiser describes it as mostly flat with gentle rolling hills [2]. On its elevation profile the course never rises above about 38 m, and the short climbs are packed into the first 10 km through the city; the second half is flatter [1]. The course is AIMS-certified [2].
The route maps still posted are the 2025 versions [1]. The road closures announced for 2026 name the same landmarks, from the old jetty and Wisma Kewangan to Rampayan Jati, Jackson Furnishing Centre, UMS, Alamesra and the city mosque [3], so the loop appears not to have changed.
Sunrise in Kota Kinabalu in mid-May is around 6am, so a four-hour marathoner runs the whole race in the dark. The sea views belong to the half marathon, an out-and-back along Likas Bay to a turn near Jalan UMS at about 11 km [1], and to slower marathoners in their last hour on the coast road.
The Weather: Warm, Saturated and Still
Kota Kinabalu airport, about 8 km south-west of the start, recorded 26°C at 2am on race morning, with a dew point of 25°C, 94% humidity and a 3-knot wind [4]. It barely changed through the night: 25°C and 94% humidity from 3.30am to 6.30am. Then it warmed quickly, to 27°C at 7.30am, 28°C at 8am and 30°C at 9am, when the marathon closed [4].
A dew point of 25°C is at the top of the range runners find oppressive: the air is so wet that sweat barely evaporates, so the flat profile flatters less than it looks. The women's half-marathon winner, Asia Paraase, said the climate was like home in the Philippines but the air felt heavier, and that made the race harder [5].
The time you finish decides the race you get. A marathoner done by 6.30am ran the whole way in 25°C to 26°C air; a six-hour runner finished at 8am, at 28°C, in sunshine. Start slower than your flat-course pace, drink at every station, and use the cooling late in the race: sponges at 37.5 km and a fire-brigade spray at 40 km on the marathon, and at 16.5 km and 19 km on the half [1].
Aid Stations and Cut-offs
On the marathon map there is a water station every 2.5 km, most with toilets and a medic, and bananas at 30 km [1]. The organiser's own description is stations every 2 to 3 km [2].
The cut-offs are generous for a tropical race: seven hours for the marathon (9am), three and a half hours for the half (7.30am) and two hours for the 10 km (7.30am) [2]. Runners outside the limit are swept back to the start, and finisher items go only to those inside it [6]. Every finisher gets a medal and an e-certificate; only marathon finishers get a finisher tee [6].
The Roads: Traffic Beside the Course
The marathon and half marathon are not run on closed roads. The traffic plan announced for 2026 closed one lane of each road on the route from 2am; only the 10 km got fully closed roads, between Jalan Tun Razak and Jalan Tun Fuad Stephens from 5am to 6.30am [3].
That mattered in 2026. At about 3.30am a car driven by a 27-year-old hit a 40-year-old marathon runner from behind near the 32 km point on Jalan UMS, while he was in the coned lane set aside for runners [7][8]. The car did not stop at the scene; police said it later overturned beside a petrol station [8]. The runner had minor injuries to his hand, knee and neck [7][8]. The organiser said a Rela volunteer was also hit, and that both were treated by the race medical team before going to hospital [7][9]. Police are investigating under the Road Transport Act [8].
Separately, a 28-year-old half-marathon runner from Tawau felt unwell after finishing, went back to his hotel to rest, and died [9]. The Star reported that he had trouble breathing when he finished [7]. No cause has been reported, and nothing in the reporting links his death to the course or the organisation.
Stay inside the cones, wear a light and something reflective for the city sections before dawn, and assume there is traffic beside you. In 2026 the road closures were reported five days before the race [3]; read the 2027 one to see whether more of the route is closed.
Finding Your Way
Paraase said the route had many narrow streets that could easily confuse a runner, that there were only a few marshals, and that runners needed to check the posted route to avoid getting lost [5]. She was at the front of the women's half marathon, where runners are most spread out. In the middle of the field you will have runners to follow; if you are near the front or the back, learn the turns through the city centre before race day.
How Fast the Field Is
The marathon was won in 2:38:02 by Edsel Moral, ahead of Dickyias Mendioro in 2:39:41 and Japan's Shinji Watanabe in 2:41:18. Lizane Abella won the women's race in 3:16:26, from Jennylyn Nobleza in 3:16:33 and Maricar Camacho in 3:17:24 [10]. Most of the Filipino winners came as one squad, Team 7-Eleven Philippines, which sent 17 qualifiers from its own race series [11].
Behind the winners the field thins quickly. Tenth place in the marathon was 2:59:16 for men and 3:46:06 for women; in the half marathon, 1:23:39 and 1:48:51. The 10 km was won in 33:49 [10]. Prize money runs ten deep in the open and veteran marathon categories, from RM3,000 for first to RM100 for tenth, with a separate Malaysian-only category paying RM1,500 to its winner [2]. A good club runner has a real chance of placing.
Personal bests are possible despite the humidity. One half marathoner in 2025 ran 1:43:37, almost seven minutes faster than before, with a negative-split plan, despite cramping at 18 km [12].
Race Weekend Logistics
Race packs were collected at the Sabah International Convention Centre from Thursday to Saturday, 7 to 9 May, 10am to 6pm, and the organiser warned that race-day collection might not be available [2]. Postal delivery was offered within Malaysia only, arriving 5 to 7 days before the race [6].
For a 2am start, the official shuttle cost RM20 for a return trip, with 1,000 seats sold first come, first served; return shuttles ran from 7am to 9.30am only [13]. The organiser asked runners to be at the start at least 30 minutes before their flag-off [2]. There was also a free friendship run on the Saturday morning [2].
Entries cannot be refunded, transferred or deferred, and you cannot change category once registered; swapping bibs gets you disqualified [6]. Alliance Bank card holders got 20% off in 2026 [6].
Should You Enter the 2027 Race?
Yes, if you have raced in heat before and want a big, certified race with a Sabah holiday around it. It is also a real chance at prize money or an age-group place for a good club runner, and the 10 km on fully closed roads suits first-timers and families.
Think twice if you want a closed-road marathon, a personal best in cool air, or you cannot face a 2am start after a night with little sleep.
The 2027 race is on Sunday 16 May [14]. Entry fees and start times had not been published when this was written, so check them, and the road-closure notice, before you book flights.
Nobody from this site ran the race. This review draws on the organiser's race information and route maps, the results, airport weather records, local reporting in English and Chinese, and two runners' own accounts.