The Course: Out and Back Over the Second Bridge, at Night
Since 2024 the race has started and finished at Aspen Vision City in Batu Kawan, on the mainland, instead of using the first Penang Bridge; it moved because of light-rail construction on the island [1]. The course runs out over the Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah Bridge, Penang's Second Bridge, which the state puts at 24 km long [2]. On the official map, the marathon crosses the whole bridge to a turnaround at the island end beside Bayan Lepas and Penang International Airport, then comes back the same way; the half marathon turns on the bridge near the 8.8 km mark and the 10 km near 4.8 km [3]. The first and last 3 km or so are on local streets in Batu Kawan [4]. The course is AIMS-certified [5].
Wong Hon Wai, the state tourism chairman and organising chairman, describes the bridge as open stretches, strong crosswinds, elevation changes and the mental test of running through the night [6]; at the 2025 race he listed the long bridge, humid weather, sea wind and gradients [7]. With the marathon starting at 1.30am and the half at 3am [5], both are night races on a single road.
The Weather: Mild for Penang, and Almost No Wind
Penang International Airport at Bayan Lepas, beside the marathon turnaround at the island end of the bridge and roughly 15 to 20 km from the start, recorded 25°C at the 1.30am start, with a dew point of 23°C, 89% humidity and a 3-knot wind [8][3]. It cooled to 24°C from 4.30am to 7.30am and was back at 25°C, with 83% humidity, at 8.30am when the marathon closed. The wind never rose above 5 knots before 8.30am [8].
That is mild for Penang, and the winner liked it: Anderson Saitoti Seroi said the weather and wind conditions were favourable [9]. It did not feel cool to everyone. A visiting half marathoner wrote that runners were told to expect a breeze on the bridge and did not get one, found the heat overwhelming, and walked through every water station [4].
A dew point of 23°C is heavy air: sweat evaporates slowly, so 24°C to 25°C costs more effort than the number suggests. The half marathon, run from 3am to 6.30am, got the coolest hours of the night [8][3].
Aid Stations and Cut-offs
The official map marks 21 aid stations on the marathon, nearly all with water, 100 Plus and toilets. Bananas are at three stations (3, 9 and 14), energy gels at two (6 and 12), and sponges at two (10, at the far turnaround, and 17), with coconut at station 10 and bread at 17 [3]. The half-marathon runner counted 10 water stations on that course, said the first couple were quite far apart, and noted first-aid points handing out bags of ice; the on-course electrolyte, 100 Plus, is carbonated [4].
The qualifying times work as the cut-offs: 7 hours for the marathon (8.30am), 3 hours 30 minutes for the half (6.30am) and 1 hour 30 minutes for the 10 km (8am) [3]. Sweeper balloons mark the end of each race; runners behind them must board the sweeper bus, have their bib cut in half, and lose the medal, finisher tee and lucky-draw entry [3]. Everyone who finishes inside the limit gets a finisher tee and a medal, the same medal for all three distances [3][10].
Getting There: The Hard Part of a 1.30am Start
The Second Bridge was closed to traffic from 11pm on the Saturday, and the state said it reopened on schedule at 10am on the Sunday [5][1]; the first Penang Bridge stayed open [3]. The state thanked its teams for keeping the race running smoothly [11].
Getting to Batu Kawan in the middle of the night takes planning. Rapid Penang shuttles ran every 20 minutes from 10pm on the Saturday to 11am on the Sunday: RM15 return from KOMTAR and Queensbay Mall on the island, and RM5 from Icon City and Batu Kawan Station on the mainland [3]. 4,402 runners booked the shuttle, up from 3,234 in 2024 [12], and the state said its 42 buses made transport smoother than the year before [1]. Drivers were asked to park at IKEA, Design Village or Stadium Batu Kawan [3].
One visiting half marathoner's weekend shows the friction. Collecting the race pack at the venue the day before took a couple of hours from George Town and ended with a walk after a bus driver dropped them on a major road. On race night they caught a midnight bus, arrived at 1am to a busy start area with a bag check, plenty of toilets and a DJ, but found getting into the start pens confusing and could not reach their faster pen before the start [4]. Pens seeded by estimated finish time were new in 2025 [6].
How Fast the Field Is
About 23,000 runners took part, the state said: 18.6% in the marathon, 45.2% in the half and 36.2% in the 10 km, with 6.8% from abroad [5]. One post-race report put the total at 25,000 [9].
Kenyans won the big prizes. Seroi won the men's marathon in 2:19:42 for his third straight title, just ahead of Geoffrey Birgen in 2:19:52; Eunice Nyawira Muchiri won the women's race in 2:37:32, a year after finishing second [13][9]. Eight of the top ten men were Kenyan. The best Malaysian man, Muhamad Haziq Hamzah, was eighth in 2:38:30, and police corporal Noor Amelia Musa was the best Malaysian woman, eighth in 3:14:17 [13][9].
Behind the professionals the field thins fast, and the prize list is long. Cash went to the top ten in every category, from RM25,000 for the open marathon winners to RM1,000 for sixth to tenth [3]. Tenth in the women's open marathon ran 3:46:16, and tenth in the men's veteran marathon 3:10:42 [13]. A separate Best Malaysian ranking paid RM5,000 to its winners [3][9]. There are only two age groups, Open and Veteran (over 45), which a visiting runner called unfortunate for a race this size [4].
In the half marathon, Mark Kipruto won in 1:10:20 and tenth among men was 1:19:46; the women's race was won in 1:18:13, with tenth at 1:38:33. The 10 km was won in 31:34 and 41:11 [13].
Race-Weekend Logistics
Entry in 2025 cost RM120 early or RM150 later for the marathon, RM110 or RM140 for the half, and RM100 or RM120 for the 10 km [14]. The last race-pack sessions were at the Vervea Trade and Exhibition Centre in Batu Kawan on 11 and 12 December, 11am to 7pm, and on race eve, 13 December, 9am to 2pm, after earlier sessions at Aspen House in George Town and at Klippa, beside IKEA Batu Kawan; the guide warned that late comers would not be entertained [15].
The baggage counter opened at 10.30pm on the Saturday and closed at 10am on the Sunday [3]. After the race there were free massages and ice foot baths [11], and a lucky draw open only to finishers, with a Proton S70 as the top prize [16].
Should You Enter the 2026 Race?
Yes, if you want a big, low-cost, certified marathon on a bridge closed to traffic, with a seven-hour limit and a real chance of prize money for a good club runner, especially a woman or a veteran.
Think twice if you want views or crowds along the route: it is an out-and-back on one bridge, mostly in the dark. Think twice, too, if you cannot face a night with no sleep; getting there means a late-night shuttle or a hotel in Batu Kawan.
The 2026 race is on Sunday 13 December, again on the Second Bridge [17]. The organiser has published the same start times and limits, the same Malaysian entry fees (RM240 early and RM300 later for non-Malaysians), the 2026 race-pack dates, and a new elite category capped at 500 marathoners, with cut-offs of 3 hours 45 minutes for open men and 4 hours 15 minutes for open women [18]. The 2026 route map was still marked “To be announced” [19]; check it, and where the prize money goes, before you book.
Nobody from this site ran the race. This review draws on the organiser's race guide, route map and results, airport weather records, reporting in English and Chinese, and one runner's own account.