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Samui Half Marathon 2026: race day at Chaweng Lake
· Luxy Samui
Runners met at Chaweng Lake on 21 June 2026 for the Bangkok Airways Samui Half Marathon and its shorter races.
The Bangkok Airways Samui Half Marathon returned to Koh Samui on Sunday 21 June 2026. The start and finish were at Phru Chaweng, the public park around Chaweng Lake in Bophut. The event is part of the airline's Boutique Series of races held in the destinations it serves.
Four distances over two days
The programme had something for every level, according to the race listing on Ahotu:
- Half marathon, 21 km: start at 4:30 on Sunday morning
- 10 km: start at 5:30
- 5 km fun run: start at 6:00
- Children's race, 800 metres: Saturday 20 June at 17:00
An expo for runners was open on the Saturday from 10:00 to 18:00, according to a recap published by the Silavadee resort. The very early start is normal for races in Thailand. It lets runners finish before the heat of the day.
A course through the north-east of the island
The half marathon leaves Chaweng Lake and heads to the cape of Choeng Mon. It continues past Wat Ban Laem and Bangrak Pier before coming back to the park. Race descriptions mention beaches, tropical greenery and fishing villages along the way. The Silavadee recap calls the route challenging.
The entry included a medal, an event T-shirt, a timing chip, a meal after the race, medical support and accident insurance. The recap adds two details. Half marathon runners who finished within four hours received a finisher shirt. The race shirts were made from recycled plastic fibre, equal to about 20 bottles per shirt.
What is not published
The sources we read do not give the number of runners in 2026 or the names of the winners, so we do not report them here. They also differ on the closing time of the course: one listing says 8:30, another says 9:30. The date of the 2027 race had not been announced when the recap was written in July 2026.
The race has been held every year since 2018, except for postponements in 2020 and 2021.
What it means for your stay
The race gives a good reason to plan an active holiday on Koh Samui in June. If you want to run next year, plan for a start before sunrise and choose accommodation in Chaweng, Choeng Mon or Bophut, so the trip to the start line is short. Ask the organisers about road arrangements on race morning if you need to drive early. Non-runners in your group will not be bored either. For ideas before and after the race, see our guide to things to do in Koh Samui.
