Half Marathon in New Chinatown – Race Review

I went to Sampeng 2 Mini Half Marathon early on Sunday morning with low expectations. It was hard to find information about the race and even harder to find out exactly where the start/finish was located. Fortunately, my friend is a taxi driver and he knew the way to the Sampeng 2 in the so called “New Chinatown” in Bang Khae, Bangkok.

Once we arrived to the venue though, it turned out to be a properly set up event. Number and shirt collection went smooth and directions were clear. It was a typical Bangkok race course, partly on smaller sub streets and mostly along a lager main road (Kanchanaphisek Road). There were a lot of marshals along the route and water stations every other kilometer. The kilometer marks were accurate enough, but not easy to spot as they were just sprayed on the ground. The half marathon seemed accuratly measured, but apparently the mini marathon was a kilometer short of the announced 10.5k. The last part of the course (all distances) included some twists and turns around the start/finish area as well as a climb up a 8-storey car park to spice the finish up.

Plenty of food choices were offered after the race, massage was available and the usually running gears and race promotions were there too. Trophies to top-5 finishers in each age group, the prize ceremony didn’t take too long. In summary, a Bangkok running event worth while, but pre-race promotions and directions need improvements.

For me personally, the race went well. I wanted to run a steady paced half marathon, unless someone else would force the speed up. No one did, so I ran all the 21+ kilometers by myself, from start to finish. The humidity must have been high, the air felt thick. The rain came early into the race, which made the ground a bit slippery but also made air fresher and more breathable.

Flat course, no one racing me, no surges, instead I ran disciplined and consistent (5k splits: 17.31, 17.26, 17.24, 17.34). My target pace was 3.30/km (sub 74 min finish time) and I was bang on up to 20k. Then came the car park with 8 storeys of 2 sections each, resulting in a finish time just over 1.15 instead of just under 1.14. My “car-mates”, Maz and Oka, finished 2nd and 3rd.