2025 Bangkok Marathon Race Report

When we travel we always look for a race. I highly recommend it as a great way to experience another country and meet other runners. They may not speak the same language but we all speak running.

The Bangkok marathon is a big race. The marathon had over 1600 runners, there were about 3600 in the half and over 3500 in the 10k. There is also an untimed 5K which looked to have almost as many runners. Harold and I ran the half marathon. The race cost us $65 each which is actually more than we usually pay for races here. But this is an AIMS, world athletics certified race and the full is a qualifier for the world masters marathon championships. 

Bangkok is hot and humid so in order to beat the heat and probably the traffic as well the races start early. The marathon started at 12:30 am, we started the ½ at 3:00 am, the 10k started at 4:30 am and the 5K at 5:00 am. Everyone had to be finished by 7:00 am. 

Race kit pick-up was held for two days before the race.

It was a bit out of the way for us but we are always open to an adventure. We took a local bus across town. Between waiting for the bus and making the trip in Bangkok traffic it took us over an hour to get there. We had to walk the last 900 metres and risk our lives crossing a few busy roads but we eventually made it.

The race kit pick up was held in Bravo BBK. A giant shopping mall which is now over half empty. Bangkok has several huge upscale shopping malls. This one must have been squeezed out.  There was an expo with quite a few vendors. We bought a pair of socks, two hats, a waist belt and a pair of running shorts for a grand total of 260 Baht which is about $10. To be fair everything we bought was in the bargain bins. 

We picked up our race kits which were in a cloth bag and included a race shirt, a pair of socks and some sample sunblock. The race was timed by Sportstats which we always find amusing. They had some photo ops and once again Harold and I were photographed and featured on the race Facebook page. 

Race Day

 The queen mother of Thailand passed away on October 25th. The royal family is very important and respected in Thailand so as a result of her death the whole country is officially in mourning for a year. All citizens are advised to dress in black for 90 days and all government employees and officials are required to dress in black for a full year. The race usually starts with a big bang in front of the Royal palace but as a result of the queen’s death they moved the start away from the place. You get the impression that they may have been unsure about even having the race at one point. Talking to other people I also get the idea that they toned things down out of respect.

Our hotel was 1.7 km from the start so we planned to walk there at 2:00 am. To get there we walked through the infamous Khoson road where the party is in full swing at 2:00 am. We were the only ones with race bibs!

The start area was what you would expect from any big race with a few additions. Bangkok has large toilet buses for special events. No lines and they are real flush toilets!

They also have expo style booths many of which were handing out pre race snacks including crackers and small cakes. 

They also have supervised garbage to make sure you put your trash in the right bin

The start had no corrals and 4000 runners. It was hot in the crowd. My Garmin recorded the temperature as 32C.

I started nearer the front but still got stuck in the first km. Harold started further back and got even more stuck. The course was out and back so the winners of the marathon were coming back through the crowd of runners going out. They made an announcement at the start asking that everyone let the marathoners through but I saw some elite runners on the sidewalk trying to get through the crowd to the finish line. I knew the 10k started 90 minutes after us and the 5k started 30 minutes after that so I made a mental note to be sure to finish in under 2 hours.

The first part of the course was quite scenic although it was dark. We ran past the lit Democracy Monument and down the main road. Although it was the middle of the night all of the course was well lit.

At about 2 km we moved onto an elevated road which took us across the Rama 8 bridge.

After we crossed the bridge we stayed on the elevated highway for the rest of the race. There was no traffic but there was nothing but highway to look at. There were aid stations advertised every 2k and they were pretty close to that. All the aid stations had water. There was no ice, but all the water was ice cold and had ice in it. There was supposed to be spots drink every 4K it was not at the 4K or the 8k aid station. I was glad I had a couple of emergency gels. The sports drink was at 12, 16 and 20. It was 100 plus pro which I have never seen before but it was pretty good. There was also fruit at one aid station which is pretty common here. The course is flatish. The only hills were highway and bridge ramps.

With the heat and jet lag as my excuses plus the fact that we are on vacation I never planned to make this an A race.I was pretty motivated to finish under 2 hours to avoid being crushed by the 5k coming out! It was hot but there was a bit of a breeze which helped. I also used the ice hat Joanne gave me. No ice but I put water on the head under that hat at each aid station. 

I finished in 1:56 so I avoided getting crushed on the course but when I finished I had to get through the crowd waiting to start the 5k as soon as I crossed the finish line. The medals were in the middle of the crowd so the finishers were a bit like salmon swimming upstream.

We were supposed to get finishers shirts but when we got our medals there was a guy holding up his phone with “your shirts will be mailed to your home” on it in English. I don’t really need more race shirts but I was counting on this one. I packed assuming we would get the shirt and I was planning to use it as my dry post race shirt. I don’t know what happened with the shirts but they were there in boxes. We think there was a misprint on the shirts which they must have been discovered at the last minute. That is the kind of thing that keeps race directors up at night. Discovering at the last minute that 4000 shirts are not useable! 

Shortly after that they began announcing in Thai and English that we could give our address to someone at the medal station to get our shirts delivered. That did not seem practical as they were surrounded by runners. They posted a google form on their Facebook page later to fill out. I will be somewhat surprised if they actually mail our shirts to Canada. 

There was all kinds of post race food including, Chinese doughnuts, soy milk, pad ka pow (a meat and basil dish served on rice), ice cream bars, bread rolls, fruit and a few different types of cookies. I watched Harold cross the line and then we went looking for food. The lines were a bit long but there was lots of food.

The race bibs here often have a QR code you can use to find your personal race result on Sportstats. It’s a great feature. I checked and discovered I was 4th woman over 60 and 50th woman overall. I was surprised to see how many women over 50 placed in the top 50. It turns out that this race is a favorite with the serious runners because it has pretty substantial prize money. Winning your age group in the ½ paid out 10,000 Bht which is $432.00 Canadian plus a smart phone. The age group winners for the marathon got three times that. $1300 and a free phone is worth a bit of travel. I won 4000 Bht ($173.00) for placing 4th. The woman who placed 3rd in our age group was from Malaysia and spoke English, she told me the older women runners race in Thailand because most of the other countries have over 40 or over 45 as the oldest age group.

When you place here there is a process. Luckily I have done this before so I understood most of it. You start by going to a special desk with your passport and your bib. I don’t generally run with a passport but they will take a Canadian drivers license. They give you a tag to put around your neck that says what age group and place you won. When it’s time for the awards you go and find the other people in your age group. Once you are all gathered they call you up on stage to get your award. In this case you appeared to have to advocate to get your group on stage.

There is no set order for presenting the awards. I walked over to the stage area thinking it was about the right time. This made the other three women in my age group who were waiting very happy. Two were Thai and spoke no English but they made it clear I was not to go anywhere. The third was the woman from Malaysia and spoke English. We were missing one which caused great distress. It took a while but the Thai ladies convinced them to let us go up without the missing runner. I had been watching others go up on stage to make sure I got it right. Everyone was bowing or kneeling briefly when they first went up on stage. I did too and discovered that the Kings Trophy was there and that is what we were bowing to. I thought I was doing well but I did get into trouble because I had my Garmin on. I don’t know why but I had to remove it before they could take any pictures.

After we left the stage we went to cash awards table. The woman from Malaysia told me there were cheques last year. She assured me you could take it to a bank with your passport and they would cash it but I was very relieved to receive an envelope of cash. They actually deduct 5% for taxes and give you an official tax receipt! 

Overall. The course was pretty dull but that may have been because of the death of the queen mother. I was told by people who had done it before there has been cheering and entertainment in the past. The marathon would have been a slog. The missing shirts were a bit of a drag but things happen and the organizers were fast to correct it. The missing electrolytes could have been a deal breaker it was hot. Harold said there were water stations where he had to pour his own water and he was no where near the end of the race. The crowding at the start finish was an issue but they had to move the start location because of the official mourning period. I would run it again if I was in town (always possible!) but I would not plan a trip around running it.

As with all races people were complaining on Facebook but unlike many other I have been to the organizers replied right away.

We still got a lot for our money. Hope our shirts show up in Canada.