The Course: A Tour of Central Bandung From City Hall
Both races started and finished at Balai Kota, Bandung's city hall, by Taman Vanda on Jl. Merdeka [1][2]. The half marathon runs along Jl. Ir H Juanda to a U-turn near St Borromeus hospital, then on through Dago and Diponegoro, Supratman, A Yani, Ibrahim Adjie and Kiaracondong to Gatot Subroto. It comes back along Asia Afrika and Jenderal Sudirman, then through Gardujati, Pasir Kaliki, HOS Cokroaminoto and Pajajaran, and back via Cicendo, Wastukencana and Merdeka to the finish [1]. Local press gave its length as 21.3 km, and the 10 km's as 10.2 km [3].
The 10 km route the organiser posted on the Thursday before the race runs from Taman Vanda along Wastukencana and Ir H Juanda to the same U-turn near St Borromeus, then through Dago, Diponegoro, Cilamaya, RE Martadinata (Riau), Aceh and Belitung to Jl. Merdeka [3]. An earlier published version had a U-turn on Teuku Umar and a loop via Kalimantan and Sumatra streets [1].
One runner's favourite stretch of the half marathon was the Kiaracondong flyover at sunrise, running above the station sign below [4].
The Weather: Cool Before Dawn
There are no airport weather observations to report for race morning: the public METAR archive has no records for Bandung's Husein Sastranegara airport for September 2026 [5].
Runners' accounts point to cool conditions. A Jakarta runner who has done the race several times said the 4am start meant it was cool at the start and cool at the finish [4]. In 2024, too, runners singled out the cool air as the race's strength [6].
Start Waves and Cut-offs
The half marathon on Sunday started in three waves, at 4.00, 4.07 and 4.15am; bag drop and the runners' entrance opened at 2.30am and the start corrals at 3am [7]. The 10 km on Saturday was planned for waves at 4.45, 4.52 and 5.00am, with bag drop from 3.15am [7]; the flag-offs were reported to run from about 4.50am to about 5.20am [8].
The half marathon had a cut-off point at 13.8 km at 6.45am and a finish cut-off at 7.45am; the 10 km closed at 7am [7]. For the last wave that meant 2 hours 30 minutes to reach 13.8 km, about 10:50 per km, and 3 hours 30 minutes to finish; the first wave had 15 minutes more.
The Roads: Shared, Not Closed
Bandung does not close the roads for this race. Mayor Muhammad Farhan said there would be no full closures at all, only diversions and shared road space, with police in charge of traffic; the police had said that at a red light everyone stops [1][10]. Police used stop-go control along the route [10][2], and the organiser's marshals worked alongside police, the army, the transport agency and Satpol PP, which also patrolled the cheering points where running communities gather [2].
That arrangement has a history. In 2024, when the race started at Gedung Sate, half marathoners and marathoners had to contend with motorbikes and cars and constant horns, and at some points runners were made to stop and give way [6]. In 2025 the race caused congestion across the city, and it was split over two days to spread the load [11]. The mayor said the city had learned from protests over closed roads in the previous edition [10].
In 2026 it went more smoothly. After the Saturday 10 km the mayor said there had been very little horn-blowing and no traffic accidents after the start; a collision between an angkot minibus and a truck in Dago happened about five minutes before it. Traffic was held for no more than about three minutes at a time and was back to normal by 6.30am, except near the finish [12][13]. The city reported nothing untoward on the Sunday, and a runner who had done the race in earlier years said runners and vehicles competed for road space least of all this time [4].
Expect vehicles beside you and at junctions, follow the marshals, and do not assume a junction is held for you.
How Fast the Field Is
Robi Syianturi won the men's half marathon, from Timotius Siahaan and Arif Hidayatullah, and Nefriana Ariance Daik won the women's, from Agustina Mardika Manik and Westi Indah [14]. The 10 km on Saturday went to Rikky Marthin Luther Simbolon, from Iqbal Saputra and Nofeldi Petingko, and to Agustina Mardika Manik, who ran both days [14]. No winning times have been published.
The front of the field overlaps with Indonesia's other big weekend races: a runner named Iqbal Saputra, second in the 10 km here on Saturday, won the Garmin Run Indonesia 10 km in BSD the next morning in 32:06 [15].
Race Weekend Logistics
Entry cost Rp650,000 for the 10 km and Rp850,000 for the half marathon, plus the ticketing platform's fee. Entries were sold only through Blibli, one ticket per account [9]. The organiser said in January that Bandung tickets usually sell out very quickly because of limited capacity, and that about 70% of runners come from outside the city [16].
The minimum age is 15 for the 10 km and 17 for the half marathon, and runners aged 15 to 17 need a letter signed by a parent or guardian [9]. Entrants get a bib, race jersey, sports insurance and a tote bag of sponsor products; finishers inside the limit get a medal, and half-marathon finishers an extra finisher jersey [9]. Race packs were collected from Thursday to Saturday, 17 to 19 September [17].
The 10 km and the half marathon are on separate days, Saturday and Sunday, and tickets were sold separately for each day [7]. The 2026 race was part of the city's 216th anniversary celebrations [14], and the organiser said it would probably stay at half-marathon distance for now rather than add a marathon, because a longer route would disrupt more of the city [12][13].
Should You Enter the 2027 Race?
Yes, if you want a big, well-supported city half marathon or 10 km, a pre-dawn start that runners describe as cool, and a route that tours central Bandung. It suits runners who can hold about 10 minutes per km or better through 13.8 km.
Think twice if you want closed roads, a full marathon, or a slow walk-run half: the cut-off point is strict, and the roads are shared with traffic.
The 2027 dates, fees and routes had not been published when this was written. Watch for the organiser's route update in race week; in 2026 the 10 km route changed from the version first published [1][3].
Nobody from this site ran the race. This review draws on the organiser's statements and race-week schedule as reported, local reporting in Indonesian on the 2024, 2025 and 2026 races, city officials' post-race statements, and runners' comments to the city's press office.