The Course: A Loop North to the Airport, Back Along Layan Beach
The half and full marathon start and finish at Laguna Grove, inside the Laguna Phuket resort [1]. The organiser's description is simple: the course heads north-east to Ban Don, north past Thalang to Nai Yang Beach, and back to Laguna past Layan Beach [1]. The Phuket News described the 2026 route as passing through rainforest, rubber and pineapple plantations and the Thalang district [2].
On the official 2026 map, the marathon leaves past Boat Avenue and Cherngtalay police station, turns north on Route 4030 past Ban Don Temple at 4 km and a fresh market at 6 km, and works through Ban Khai, Ban Riang and Pru-Sompan-Ngamthawee roads to about 12 km. It then runs north through Sakhu, past the Asia Shooting Range at 15 km, to a loop between 19 km and 24 km beside Sirinat National Park at Nai Yang, with its far point at the Royal Thai Aviation Club next to Phuket airport at 21 km. From 25 km to 29 km you come back down the same road, then turn off along Nakoh and Pru-Champa roads, past Thalang Victory Field, through Soi Koktanod at 35-36 km and Soi Layan 2 at 38 km, and finish down the Layan beach road past Banyan Tree at 40 km and Angsana at 41 km [3].
It is not flat. The official elevation chart for the marathon shows two climbs, from about 10 km to 15 km, peaking near 47 m, and from about 29 km to 34 km, peaking near 45 m; the rest mostly sits between 5 m and 25 m [3]. The half marathon shares the first 9 km, turns near 10 km on Pru-Champa Road, climbs to about 45 m around 12-13 km, and joins the marathon's finish along Layan beach [3].
A Thai runner who wrote up the 2016 marathon described it as one most runners rate among the toughest in Thailand: small hills through the rubber plantations, then four or five more in a row after turning onto the main road, which you meet again on the way back. In 2016 the turn into Nai Yang came at 19 km, where the 2026 loop there begins [4][3].
Saturday's races are shorter and flatter. The 10 km runs north up the beach road to a turn near Soi Layan 2, the 5 km loops inland through Laguna, and the 2 km junior run stays inside the resort [5].
The Weather: Saturated Before Dawn, 30°C by 8am
Phuket International Airport, about 13 km north of the start and right beside the marathon's far point at 21 km, recorded 27°C at 4am on 14 June 2026, with a dew point of 25°C, 89% humidity and a 2-knot wind [6]. Nothing changed until after dawn: still 27°C and 89% at 6.30am, then 28°C at 7am, 30°C at 8am, 31°C at 9am and 32°C at 11.30am, when the marathon closed [6].
A dew point of 25°C to 27°C means sweat barely evaporates, so the effort of each climb is higher than the elevation chart suggests. The runner from 2016 found the sun at full strength from about 32 km, when their pace began to slip [4]. In 2026 a four-hour runner reached the second climb, at 29 km, at about 6.45am, and a five-hour runner at about 7.25am, when the airport read 28°C [6].
Saturday's races run in the late afternoon heat. At the 5pm start of the 10 km the airport read 30°C with 79% humidity and a 7-knot wind, easing only to 29°C by 8pm [7].
Aid Stations and Cut-offs
The organiser promised aid stations every 2 to 2.5 km with water and isotonic drinks in cups, plus bananas and watermelon on the half and full marathon, and toilets along both courses [1]. The 2026 map also marks limited coconut juice at a few stations [3]. Distance markers are placed every kilometre [1].
The marathon has five time limits: 21.1 km within 3 hours 37 minutes (7.37am), 31.4 km within 5 hours 20 (9.20am), 35.4 km within 6 hours (10am), 38.3 km within 6 hours 29 (10.29am), and the finish within 7 hours 30 (11.30am) [3]. The half marathon closes after 4 hours, at 9am [3]. On Saturday the 10 km had 3 hours and the 5 km 2 hours 35 minutes, both closing at 8pm [5].
The limits were not tight in practice. The slowest marathon finisher crossed in 7:19 on the gun, and 33 of the 636 marathon runners in the results have no finish time [8]. The slowest half marathoner took 3:16 on the gun, well inside four hours [9].
The Roads: Mostly Quiet, Not Fully Closed
The organiser describes the route as running through quiet areas of Phuket, with police and marshals controlling traffic, and warns that runners may meet some light traffic on parts of the course [1]. At the pre-race meeting, officials listed the roads affected on Sunday between 4am and midday, including Thepkrasattri Road, Ban Don-Cherng Talay Road, Na Khok-Pru Champa Road, Pru Somphan Road, Ban Khai Road, Nai Yang Road and the area around Layan Beach, and said some sections would be temporarily closed or have restricted access [10].
On race day, Thalang district stationed 213 Volunteer Defense Corps members along the route, tourist police escorted the leaders, and the provincial health office ran emergency medical vehicles on the course [2].
The traffic section of the organiser's race page still carried the 2024 road-closure notice in 2026 [1]. The 2026 closures were set out at a provincial meeting on the Monday before the race [10], so look for the local reports that week.
How Fast the Field Is
2026 was the first year elite runners from China came, and they won both marathons [11]. Zhipeng Huang won the men's race in 2:45:35 and Ling Wu the women's in 3:03:46 [2]. The half marathon went to Thailand's Hadee Dendu in 1:17:36 and Japan's Chiaki Morikawa in 1:19:11 [2]. The 2025 men's race had been won in 2:51:48 [11].
Behind the winners the field thins fast. Second place in the men's marathon was 2:54:48, only two runners broke three hours, and tenth place was 3:09:37 for men and 3:56:22 for women [8]. In the half marathon, tenth was 1:26:48 for men and 1:43:02 for women [9].
Most runners take far longer. Of the 603 marathon finishers, 91 broke four hours and 450 finished inside six; the median time was about 5 hours 14 minutes [8]. The median half marathoner took about 2 hours 26 minutes [9]. Trophies go to the top three in every age group, up to 70 and over in the marathon [12], so a solid club runner has a real chance of one.
Race Weekend Logistics
Race packs and the expo were at Laguna Grove on Friday 12 and Saturday 13 June, 10am to 6pm, and the venue opened at 3am on Sunday [1]. The pasta party ran on Saturday evening at Angsana Laguna Phuket [1]; it was included in overseas runners' half and full marathon entries, but not in Thai and expat entries [12].
Parking was at five sites around Cherngtalay, including Choeng Thale Wittayakom School, the Cherngtalay municipal swimming pool, Boat Avenue and a central car park, with a free shuttle to Laguna Grove running from 2am to 1pm on Sunday and taking about 15-20 minutes. The organiser asked runners to arrive at least an hour before their start [13].
Each race's kit showed a singlet, a bag and a medal, and marathon and half marathon finishers had separate finisher T-shirts [13]. Baggage storage near the start allowed one bag per runner, and a light meal of fruit, noodles and rice waited after the finish [1].
Fees depend on where you live. In 2026 overseas runners paid USD 80 to 120 for the marathon depending on when they entered, and Thai residents and expats paid THB 999 to 1,700, all plus an 8.7% handling fee, by card only. Entries could not be refunded or transferred to another runner or to the next year [12].
Should You Enter the 2027 Race?
Yes, if you want a marathon holiday on a resort beach with a race that suits slow and steady runners: seven and a half hours, water every couple of kilometres, and a median finish over five hours in 2026 [3][8]. The Saturday 5 km and 10 km make it work for a family or a running group.
Think twice if you want a fast time. Two climbs, 27°C at the start and 30°C by 8am make it a race to manage rather than a personal-best course [3][6].
The 2027 race is set for 11 to 13 June, with the marathon on Sunday 13 June. The organiser has moved the starts earlier, to 3am for the marathon and 4.30am for the half, with the marathon finish closing at 10.30am [14]. That moves the second climb and the last 10 km an hour earlier, ahead of the rise in temperature after 7am seen in 2026, but it means an earlier alarm. Check the 2027 fees and the road-closure notice before booking.
Nobody from this site ran the race. This review draws on the organiser's race information and maps, the full results, airport weather records, English and Thai news reporting, and one runner's account of an earlier edition.