The Course: Out from the Losari Waterfront
The 2026 half marathon started before dawn on Sunday 31 May from Anjungan Pantai Losari, the city's waterfront promenade, and ran 21 km over main roads in the city centre [2]. The organiser said the course was certified by PASI, Indonesia's athletics federation [2].
We did not find a published 2026 route map. The 2025 route started beside the Aryaduta hotel on Jalan Somba Opu, ran along the waterfront past Fort Rotterdam, then inland past the Masjid Raya to a U-turn on Jalan Urip Sumoharjo after the flyover, and came back past Monumen Mandala and Lapangan Hasanuddin to finish where it began [7]. It crossed the Urip Sumoharjo flyover in both directions [7].
The Weather: Saturated Before Dawn
Makassar's Sultan Hasanuddin airport, roughly 18 km north-east of the start, recorded 23°C with a dew point of 23°C, 100% humidity and almost no wind at 5am and 6am on race morning in 2026 [9]. It then warmed quickly: 24°C at 7am, 27°C at 8am, 29°C at 9am and 30°C with 66% humidity at 9.30am [9].
The airport is inland, so the waterfront may have been a degree or two warmer. Either way the air was saturated at the start, and sweat barely cools you in it. Runners still on course after 8am finished in rising heat. Start conservatively and drink early.
Aid Stations and Cut-offs
The 2026 start time and cut-off were not in the reports we read. In 2025 the half marathon flagged off at 5.30am with a four-hour cut-off from gun time, runners had 15 minutes' grace to cross the start, and there were timing checkpoints on the route [7]. The 2027 rules are the same: 5.30am, four hours, water stations at several points on the course, and medical staff plus a team of running doctors in each race [10]. Neither the organiser nor the press gave the number or spacing of the drinks stations.
The Roads: Marshals, Lights and Crowds
A runner from Jakarta, at her second Makassar Half Marathon, said the route was safe and tidy in 2026, with good marshals and no motorbikes on the course [5]. Runners' families and friends gathered at points along the course, and Tribun Timur described cheering along the whole route [2].
Street lighting was the main complaint in 2025. Before the 2026 race the mayor said it was much better, though still being adjusted, and that the city had put route certification, runner insurance and course security in place [6].
How Fast the Field Is
The front of the race is national class. Immanuel Hutasoit won the open men's half marathon in 1:08:45, and Nofeldi Petingko of Central Sulawesi won the national men's category in 1:08:46 (unofficial), one second behind [1]. Eight men made the podium in the national category alone [1]. We found no women's results; full results are posted on the organiser's site.
Behind the elites this is a mass-participation race: about 12,400 runners took part across the 10K and half marathon weekend in 2026 [1][3].
Race Weekend Logistics
The 2026 event ran over three days, from Friday 29 to Sunday 31 May, at Anjungan Pantai Losari [3][8]. The competitive 5K was dropped that year, a 10K class for 15 to 18-year-olds was added, and about 500 runners took the Triple Medals Challenge, racing on two consecutive days [2]. A shake-out run and a Kid Dash for ages 3 to 12 rounded out the weekend [2].
The race-pack handout went less well. Many runners complained online that the goodie bag was a plain bag, like a minimarket shopping bag, and not what had been promoted [4]. The race director said the bags came from eight local small businesses brought in for the first time, and that supplying about 12,000 runners had stretched them [4]. The Jakarta runner said the 2026 race was far from perfect and that the 2025 edition had been better, with many problems at pack distribution [5]. The mayor said afterwards that there were shortcomings and that the city would fix them [3].
More than half the field came from outside Makassar, and hotels near the venue were nearly full days before the race [3][6]. In 2026 the city's parking company set flat event rates of Rp3,000 for a motorbike and Rp5,000 for a car, with about 12 parking areas around the start [8].
Should You Enter the 2027 Race?
Yes, if you want a big, well-supported half marathon with crowds, a fast front end and a Makassar food weekend attached. The four-hour cut-off suits first-timers, and you can pair the Saturday 10K with the Sunday half.
Think twice if smooth race-pack logistics matter to you, or if you want cool air for a personal best.
The 2027 race is on Sunday 30 May, with the 10K on Saturday 29 May [10]. The city wants 12,000 runners in 2027 and international-standard organisation by 2028 [11]. Book accommodation near Losari early.
Nobody from this site ran the race. This review draws on local news reports from race weekend, the organiser's race rules, the 2025 route and rules, and airport weather records.