The Course: Out and Back Through a Working Mine
The Mae Moh Half Marathon is run on the grounds of EGAT Mae Moh, the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand's mine and power plant in Mae Moh district, Lampang [1]. The 32nd edition was on Sunday 19 October 2025, organised by Lampang Province, the provincial administrative organisation, the Lampang Chamber of Commerce, the Thai Mass Participation Sports Trade Association and EGAT [1][2]. It was first held in 1992 [3].
The half marathon is a single out-and-back. On the official map it starts and finishes by the power plant, heads north to a U-turn beside a reservoir just after 10 km, and comes back the same way; the map draws the mine beside the 5 km and 16 km markers [4]. EGAT describes the scenery as limestone mountains, the Huai Pet and Mae Kham reservoirs, the Mae Moh mine and the power plant [1], and its pre-race release promised fields of cosmos and sunn hemp flowers along the routes [5]. The 10 km is a shorter out-and-back to a U-turn at 5 km, and the 5 km is a loop around a reservoir [4].
It is not dead flat. A half marathoner in the 50-54 group, who ran 1:37:39, said the course has few hills but is fun to run, and a Lampang runner switched from the half to the 10 km in 2025 to see how its climbs and flat stretches differed [6].
The half-marathon course has held a World Athletics Road Race Label since 2024, the first in northern Thailand [3], and EGAT says a 21.1 km result from Mae Moh can be used as a reference when entering other World Athletics races [1].
The Weather: Fog at the Start
Lampang airport, roughly 25 km west of Mae Moh, has no reading before 6am that morning. At 6am, 45 minutes into the half marathon, it recorded 24°C, a dew point of 23°C, 94% humidity, no wind and fog; at 7am, 24°C and 100% humidity with mist [7]. It warmed slowly: 25°C at 8am and 26°C at 9am, just after the half marathon closed, before jumping to 29°C at 10am [7].
EGAT's own account of the morning describes thin mist and cool, comfortable air, and the 5 km winner said the air was very fresh [6]. By tropical standards 24°C is mild, but a dew point of 23°C still means sweat barely evaporates. The heat arrives late: the whole field had finished before the jump to 29°C at 10am.
Cut-offs: Checkpoints on a Fixed Clock
The half marathon started at 5.15am with a limit of 3 hours 30, and the map lists four intermediate cut-offs: 5 km at 6.05am, 10 km at 6.55am, 15 km at 7.45am and 20 km at 8.35am, with the finish closing at 8.45am [4]. That works out at 50 minutes for each 5 km, a steady 10 minutes per kilometre measured from the gun. The 10 km started at 5.45am with a two-hour limit and a 6.45am cut-off at its 5 km U-turn; the 5 km started at 6.00am with 1 hour 30 [4].
The results show runners finishing right up to the limit: the last ranked half marathoners crossed in 3:31:54 and 3:32:20 on the gun clock [8].
Closed Roads and a Tight Organisation
The roads were fully closed [1][9]. EGAT's road-closure notice shut the whole race area from 12.30am on race day until the event ended, sent mine and power-plant shift workers round by other gates, and said traffic would reopen in stages only after the last runners had passed [2].
Every entrant had to upload a clear face photo when registering and collect the bib in person, because race-morning check-in used Face ID; handing a bib to another runner was not allowed in any case [4]. Bibs were collected at Central Lampang on Saturday 18 October [4].
The runners EGAT interviewed praised the running of the day: one 10 km runner said everything worked well from bib collection to parking and that they felt safe because the roads were 100% closed; a fancy-dress half marathoner singled out the start, the water points and the first-aid points; and a Canadian runner doing the half there for the first time said the signs were clear and there were staff helping along the whole route [6].
How Fast the Field Is
Anucha Pada won the men's half in 1:13:02, a course record and a second straight win, only 53 seconds ahead of Anuchit Pada in 1:13:55; Pareeya Sonsem won the women's race for the third year running in 1:27:30 [8][9]. In 2024 Anucha Pada had won in 1:14:00 and Sonsem in 1:27:13 [10]. The 10 km was won in 35:22 by Rattapon Chaisen and 42:09 by Wanwisa Yimpraseart [9].
Depth drops off fast behind the winners. Tenth place was 1:25:29 for men and 1:49:07 for women, and 100th place 1:39:17 and 2:19:25 [8]. That matters because the top 100 men and women in the half and the 10 km each got a special award [4], so a 1:39 man or a 2:19 woman made the cut in 2025. The half paid 10,000, 8,000 and 6,000 baht to the first three men and women, with trophies to fifth, and the 10 km and 5 km paid 5,000, 4,000 and 3,000 baht [4].
The half grew quickly: 836 men and 255 women finished it in 2025 [8], against 486 and 121 in 2024 [10]. EGAT puts the rise in the whole field at about half and credits the World Athletics label [1].
Race Weekend Logistics
In 2025 the half marathon cost 700 baht at super-early-bird rates, 750 at early bird and 900 at the regular rate; the 10 km cost 500 to 600 baht and the 5 km 400 to 500 [4]. A 2,000-baht VIP entry, for any distance, added a VIP race shirt, a polo shirt, a 40 oz tumbler, a tote bag and a VIP lounge at the Starbucks in Central Lampang [4]. Everyone could choose a sleeved or sleeveless race shirt, and the finisher shirt went to half marathoners only [4].
Bibs are collected at Central Lampang the day before, so plan how you will get out to EGAT Mae Moh for a 5.15am start. The 5 km winner, who came from San Sai in Chiang Mai, stayed in town and visited the Kad Kong Ta walking street before the race [6]. EGAT's pre-race release said net proceeds go to public-benefit projects in Lampang province [5].
Should You Enter the 2026 Race?
Yes, if you want a certified half marathon on fully closed roads, a cool-for-Thailand foggy start and an unusual setting among mine terraces, reservoirs and limestone hills. It suits runners chasing a qualifying reference time, and the top-100 awards give mid-pack runners something to aim for.
Think twice if you expect to need close to 3 hours 30 for the half, because every checkpoint closes on a fixed clock from the gun, or if you want a city race with crowds.
The 33rd edition is on Sunday 25 October 2026, with room for up to 5,000 runners [3]. The regular 2026 fees are 900 baht for the half, 700 for the 10 km and 600 for the 5 km, with the VIP pack at 2,000 baht [11]. Start times and cut-offs for 2026 were not on the registration page when this was written, so check them before you plan travel.
Nobody from this site ran the race. This review draws on the organiser's race information and route maps, the results, airport weather records, EGAT's reports and road-closure notice, Thai news coverage and runners' comments reported by EGAT.