The 2026 Race: Called Off the Night Before
Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) announced the cancellation of the 2026 race on X at about 10.05pm on Saturday 5 September [1], about five and a half hours before the first flag-off, which was due at 3.30am on Sunday [2]. The council said the race was cancelled on safety and health grounds because air quality remained unhealthy, and that although the forecast suggested the Air Pollutant Index might improve over the next 24 hours, the reading was still in the unhealthy range [1][3][4]. About 10,000 runners, more than 260 of them from 34 countries, had been expected for the 36th edition [2].
The council offered an optional 5 km route on the Sunday morning instead, with 30 km entrants starting at 7am, 21 km at 7.30am and 10 km and 5 km at 8am. Timing chips were still read at the start and finish for the 30 km, 21 km and 10 km categories, to verify who could collect race entitlements [1]. Videos showed several dozen runners taking it, and the decision to hold it drew mixed reactions online [5].
Race packs could be collected until Tuesday 8 September at the Puncak Ventures office in Subang Jaya, from 10am to 4.30pm, on showing the race bib; runners could also have them posted at their own cost [5]. On money, the event's rules say no refunds will be given if the event is cancelled by unavoidable means [6], and The Star reported the terms the same way [7]. None of the statements reported offered a refund or a deferral to the next edition.
It was not the only event hit that weekend. Four Para Sukma events in Selangor were postponed after the Air Pollutant Index reached 169 at noon, and Kuching's Merdeka Spirit Run was moved from 6 September to 4 October, while some other runs in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor went ahead [7].
The Course: Loops, Turns and Slopes Through PJ
The 2025 race started and finished at Laman MBPJ, the city council grounds [8], with the start on Jalan Yong Shook Lin [2]. The official 30 km map shows a looping route with many turns through Petaling Jaya's numbered sections: out to Seksyen 6 by 5 km, round Seksyen 3 and 4 past Hospital Assunta, west through Kampung Tunku to SS2 at 15 km, through Sea Park and Seksyen 19 and 14 to 20 km, past Seksyen 17 at 25 km, and back through Seksyen 12 and round Amcorp Mall to the finish [9]. The 21 km results have timing checkpoints at 8 km and 16 km [10].
It is not flat. One 30 km runner recorded 222 m of climbing and described the route as hilly and turning around the whole town; that runner downloaded the GPX file beforehand to avoid getting lost [11]. The same runner still found it manageable despite the slopes [11]. If you are racing near the front or the back, where the field is thin, load the route onto your watch.
The Weather: Warm and Wet Before Dawn
Subang airport, about 11 km west of the start, recorded 28°C with a dew point of 24°C, 79% humidity and a 2-knot wind at 4am on race morning, just after the 21 km started [12]. It stayed at 27°C to 28°C through 6am, dipped to 26°C at 7am and 8am as humidity rose to 84% and then 89%, and warmed to 28°C at 9am and 30°C at 10am [12].
A dew point of 23°C to 24°C means sweat evaporates slowly, so the early start buys darkness, not cool air. A median 21 km runner, finishing in about 2 hours 42 minutes [10], was done by about 6.30am. The median 30 km runner took about 3 hours 46 minutes [10], finishing around 7.15am as humidity climbed towards 89%. The 10 km and 5 km start at 7am and 7.15am [13], into 26°C and 84% humidity [12].
Aid Stations and Cut-offs
The cut-offs are five hours for the 30 km, four hours for the 21 km, two hours for the 10 km and one hour for the 5 km [13]. The 30 km also has an intermediate cut-off at 15 km at 6.30am [9]. Sweeper vehicles pick up runners after the cut-off for each category [14]. The results list 23 half-marathon runners who finished outside four hours, the slowest in 4 hours 41 minutes [10].
The 30 km map marks eight water points, each paired with a medical point, roughly every 3 to 4 km [9]. There was an N8 energy gel station at about 22 km on the 30 km [11]. The one runner's account found the course well stocked and the hydration sufficient [11]. At the finish, 30 km and 21 km runners got their finisher tee with drinks and bread [11]; every distance got a medal and an e-certificate [13].
Roads and Safety
Roads were closed in phases across Petaling Jaya from 4am to 11am, including Jalan Gasing, Jalan Templer, Jalan Universiti and Persiaran Barat, and Jalan Yong Shook Lin from 6pm the night before until noon [15]. MBPJ deployed 100 traffic officers and 80 enforcement officers [15], and medics on motorcycles were stationed along the route [16].
Expect quiet streets: in the small hours there were not many supporters out [11], and the field was not crowded, even on a race that had sold out [11].
How Fast the Field Is
Joseph Mwangi Ngare won the 2025 half marathon in 1:06:35, ahead of Amos Kipkemoi Chesang in 1:08:33; the first Malaysian, Sivaneshwaran Gunasegaran, was third in 1:12:55. Caroline Cherono won the women's race in 1:21:21, more than eight minutes clear of Nurul Juliana Shakira Abdul Halim in 1:29:53 [10]. Behind them the field thins fast: tenth place was 1:21:55 for men and 1:43:26 for women, and only 246 of 2,120 finishers broke two hours [10].
The 30 km was bigger than the half. It drew 2,600 entries, the most of any distance [15], and 2,251 finished it; Benard Kiplangat Kibilo won in 1:46:09 and Lucy Liavoga in 1:58:48, with tenth place at 1:58:03 for men and 2:34:22 for women [10]. The prize pool across all five categories was RM60,200 [8].
This is a local race with a small overseas contingent. Of the 2,120 half-marathon finishers, 38 were in the international categories, and veterans aged 40 and over made up almost half the field [10]. Pacemakers Malaysia ran the official pace groups [16].
Race Weekend Logistics
Race packs were collected at Dewan Sivik, MBPJ, on Friday and Saturday, 15 and 16 August, from 11am to 6pm [13]. There is no race-day collection counter; runners who miss the collection days can arrange to collect before the flag-off for a RM15 penalty, and a courier option is offered to those who apply in advance [14].
Hotels near the start sold out for the race weekend in 2025, and every category had sold out a month before the race [11]. Drive in and you will need to park in designated areas, not along the roadside [15]; for 2026 MBPJ pointed runners to the car parks around PJ New Town [2]. At the start there was a bag drop and camping chairs to wait in [11].
Super early bird entry for Malaysians was RM75 for the 21 km and RM85 for the 30 km, with the 10 km at RM55 and the 5 km at RM40 [13]. Entries cannot be refunded, transferred or deferred, and you cannot change category once registered [14].
Should You Enter the Next PJ Half Marathon?
Yes, if you live in the Klang Valley and want an early local race with a generous four-hour half-marathon cut-off, or a 30 km as a marathon build-up. The field is mostly Malaysian and thins quickly: a half marathon under 1:22 for men, or 1:44 for women, made the top ten in 2025.
Think twice if you are flying in. The race sits in the August to September haze window, the 2026 edition was cancelled the night before, and the rules make no promise of a refund. Book travel you can change, and watch the council's channels in the final days.
No date, fees or route for the next edition had been published when this was written.
Nobody from this site ran the race. This review draws on the organiser's rules, graphics and route map, the official results, airport weather records, local reporting in English, Malay and Chinese, and one runner's account.