The Course: A Flat Loop Past the Old Town and Along the Lake
The marathon starts and finishes at the Black Chair Patio on Chalatat Road, in the grounds of Tinsulanonda Stadium [1]. The first 6 km are a tour of the town: past the Golden Mermaid at 1 km, Tang Kuan Hill, the Songkhla city wall at 3 km, the Hub Ho Hin red rice mill, the old town gate, and the Suan Chalermprakiat park at 6 km [1].
From about 10 km the route heads north-west beside Songkhla Lake, past Ko Yor at 15 km, to a U-turn by a Shell petrol station at 21 km, and comes back the same way to about 29 km, past the General Prem Tinsulanonda historical park [1]. After a turn at 31 km it returns to the start by a different road, past a string of petrol stations at 33 km and 38 km [1]. The half marathon covers the town section and turns on the lake road at about 10.5 km; the 10 km turns near the Songkhla Aquarium [1].
It is flat. The official elevation profile for the marathon stays between about sea level and 15 m [1]. The course carries a World Athletics road race label, first awarded in 2023, and the race is a full member of AIMS [2][3].
The Weather: 100% Humidity Before Dawn
Hat Yai airport, about 37 km south-west of the start and inland, recorded 26°C at the 3am marathon start, with a dew point of 25°C, 94% humidity, no wind and mist [4]. By the 4am half-marathon start it was 25°C at 100% humidity, and it stayed at 25°C with 94% to 100% humidity until 7am [4].
Then it warmed quickly: 27°C at 7.30am, 30°C at 9am and 32°C at 10am, when the marathon finish closed [4]. A dew point of 24°C to 26°C all morning means sweat barely evaporates, so the flat profile flatters less than it looks. A four-hour marathoner finished by 7am in 25°C air; a six-hour runner finished at 9am, at 30°C.
The 5 km on the Saturday evening was warmer still: 32°C at 6pm and 30°C at 7pm at the same airport [5].
Aid Stations and Cut-offs: Mind the Gun
On the marathon map there is water about every 2 km for the first 30 km, most with an energy drink from 8 km, and medical points along the way. Just after 30 km an oasis station adds toilets and more supplies, and from 34 km there is water almost every kilometre to the finish [1].
The cut-offs are strict. The marathon had six checkpoints, at 5 km (3.50am), 10 km (4.40am), 20 km (6.20am), 30 km (8am), 35 km (8.50am) and 40 km (9.40am), and a seven-hour limit; the half had checkpoints every 5 km and a 3 hour 30 limit; the 10 km had a limit of 1 hour 40 [6]. Runners who miss a checkpoint are taken back to the finish and get no medal or certificate [6].
The results point to the limits being applied on gun time, not chip time. The slowest ranked marathoners crossed at 6:59:41 and 6:59:44 on the gun, while runners who crossed at 7:00:22 and 7:01:17 are listed without a rank [7]. In the 10 km, 279 runners crossed after 1 hour 40 on the gun and are unranked [7]. All start blocks go off together, and blocks are assigned from the finish time you give when you register [6], so a slow predicted time puts you further back: near the back of the half, the gap between gun and chip time was about three minutes [7].
Roads and Getting Around on Race Morning
The roads were fully closed. The notice for race morning listed Chalatat Road (closed until 11am), the old-town streets, Tinsulanonda Road (until 10am) and the main roads into Songkhla, highways 407 and 408, with most reopening between 8am and 10.30am [8]. The seafront section of Chalatat Road by the start was closed from 19 to 23 August for set-up, and the Songkhla car ferry stopped running from 5am to 7am [8].
Plan to sleep close to the start. Marathon runners had to be in their start pen between 2am and 2.55am [1], and the roads into town were closed from early morning [8].
How Fast the Field Is
The marathon was won by Thailand's Thanathip Dichim in 2:38:42 and by Ethiopia's Marta Tinsae Birehan in 2:53:16 [7]. Behind them the field thins fast: tenth place was 2:55:18 for men and 3:38:03 for women, and the median finish time was 4:52:30 [7]. Overall winners are decided on gun time, and first place pays 50,000 baht, with a separate Thai-only prize list paying 40,000 baht down to 10,000 baht for fifth [1][6].
The half marathon was faster at the front: Kindu Tiruneh of Ethiopia won in 1:08:20 and Pareeya Sonsem in 1:26:03, with tenth place at 1:21:27 and 1:37:54 [7]. Pareeya Sonsem and Sanchai Namkhet, second in the men's half, also top the 5 km results from the evening before [7]. The 10 km was won in 33:11 and 38:07 [7].
The field is regional. About a quarter of the 9,128 names in the results carry a Malaysian flag and most of the rest a Thai one [7]. The province gave the field as more than 9,000 from 32 countries, with 2,000 in the marathon [9]; the results list 1,279 marathoners, of whom 1,184 finished inside the limit [7].
Race Weekend Logistics
Race packs were collected in the Tinsulanonda Stadium gymnasium on Friday 21 August from 10am to 7pm and on Saturday 22 August from 9.30am to 7pm [1]. Bibs must be collected in person, with a passport for foreign runners, and you are fitted with a category wristband that you need to enter the start pen [6]. Bag deposit opened at 1am on race morning [1].
Entry in 2026 cost 1,200 baht for the marathon at the early-bird rate (15 January to 15 February) and 1,400 baht after that, down to 500 or 600 baht for the 5 km, plus a processing fee; a 3,500-baht VIP entry added a cap, a tumbler and priority pack collection [1]. Every distance got an event shirt, a medal and a meal; only the marathon and half got a finisher shirt [1], and medals and finisher shirts go only to runners inside the cut-offs [6].
Entries cannot be refunded or transferred, even if the race is cancelled, and anyone caught selling or swapping a bib is banned for three years along with the buyer [6]. The minimum age is 19 for the marathon, 18 for the half and 17 for the 10 km [6].
Should You Enter the 2027 Race?
Yes, if you want a flat, closed-road marathon with a certified course, low entry fees and a seven-hour limit, and you can cope with saturated air. About a quarter of the 2026 field came from Malaysia. Good club runners can also place: tenth in the women's marathon was 3:38:03.
Think twice if you are chasing a personal best in cool air, or you are a 10 km walker: the 1 hour 40 limit is applied on the gun, and 279 runners missed it in 2026.
The 2027 date, fees and cut-offs had not been published when this was written, and AIMS listed no 2027 date [3]. Recent editions have all been in the second half of August [3], so check the organiser's site before you book.
Nobody from this site ran the race. This review draws on the organiser's race information, route maps and rules, the full results, airport weather records, and provincial government notices and reports.