Guides · Wed 04 Nov 2026
Taiwan marathons 2027: the full race calendar, from the Taipei Marathon to Wan Jin Shi
On this site's Traditional Chinese pages, the pages readers visit most are the marathons. From the Taipei Marathon in December, to the freeway marathon that runs on a closed expressway in March, to the choice of four races sharing one day on 7 November, this is the complete map of the 2027 season.
On this site's Traditional Chinese pages, the pages readers land on most are not attractions, and not concerts. They are marathons. The Nanshan Taipei Freeway Marathon ranks first, and the TS Women Run Taipei is close behind it. Runners look a race up in a practical order: the date first, then the course, and only then a decision on whether the race is worth building a trip around. This calendar follows that order, laying out the 2027 races worth planning for, from the first start line at the end of this year all the way to next November.
First, the closest race: the Taipei Marathon, 20 December
Before the 2027 season starts, there is one race first: the Taipei Marathon on 20 December 2026. It runs from Taipei City Hall Plaza to Taipei Stadium, and it is the biggest single flag on the calendar for runners across Taiwan. The date of the 2027 edition has not been announced yet. Anyone aiming at the Taipei Marathon should read this year's entry and viewing information closely first; next year's plan carries on from there.
Event page: Taipei Marathon · Taipei stays
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January: four season openers, north, south and offshore
9 January, the Kaohsiung Fubon Marathon. The big season opener of the south, on a course that runs the harbour city's sea views and its streets in one go. January in Kaohsiung is cool, one of the best windows in Taiwan for a full marathon.
10 January, the Standard Chartered Taipei Charity Marathon. It starts in front of the Presidential Office, and its charity character is the race's signature. It falls one day after the Kaohsiung race, so northern and southern runners each take their pick.
17 January, the Kinmen Marathon and the Tainan International Marathon on the same day. One is on an offshore island, the other in the old capital. The Kinmen race needs flights and a bed booked early, and its battlefield scenery and tunnels are a course you cannot run anywhere else; the Tainan race runs straight into a snack itinerary, with refuelling that continues from the finish line to the night markets.
Event pages: Kaohsiung Fubon Marathon · Standard Chartered Taipei Charity Marathon · Kinmen Marathon · Tainan International Marathon
Stays: Kaohsiung · Tainan · Kinmen
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March: two courses that exist nowhere else in Taiwan
14 March, the Nanshan Taipei Freeway Marathon. The race this site's Traditional Chinese readers look at most, for a simple reason: this is the only place in Taiwan where you can run, on your own two feet, along the closed elevated section of the Zhongshan Freeway, from Xizhi towards Wugu. A road you normally drive becomes, for one day, the runners' alone.
21 March, the New Taipei City Wan Jin Shi Marathon. The signature race of the north coast, starting from Wanli and running along the shoreline. Sea views, the Queen's Head rock, and March weather on the north coast that can turn without warning are all part of this race. Book a bed in New Taipei or Taipei early; rooms along the north coast go fast on race weekend.
Event pages: Nanshan Taipei Freeway Marathon · Wan Jin Shi Marathon · New Taipei stays
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April: TS Women Run Taipei, 11 April
The second most looked up race on this site. The women's run takes the Taipei spring date, and whether it is a first road race or a team entry with friends, its atmosphere is unlike a general race. Event page: TS Women Run Taipei.
Interlude: 19 September, the Sun Moon Lake swim
Not a run, but worth a place in the same calendar. The Sun Moon Lake International Swimming Carnival enters the water at Chaowu Pier and swims to Ita Thao Pier. In September, between running seasons, crossing Sun Moon Lake is how plenty of runners keep the year's fitness going, and it has become an annual tradition for many of them. Event page: Sun Moon Lake swim · Nantou stays
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7 November: four races on one day, and you can only pick one
7 November 2027 is the hardest choice of the year, with four races starting on the same day:
- The Sun Moon Lake Marathon, starting around the Xiangshan Visitor Center, on a lakeside loop that is one of the most beautiful courses in Taiwan.
- The Penghu Cross-Sea Marathon, where the wind on the cross-sea bridge is a test only an offshore race can set.
- The Chiayi City Ponds International Marathon Elite Race, a home town race between the city and its reservoir ponds.
- The Taiwan National Parks Marathon at Yangmingshan, a national parks series race where the climbing is the price of entry.
You can only pick one of the four. Choose Sun Moon Lake for the lake, Penghu for the sea, and Yangmingshan to test the climbing. Rooms at Sun Moon Lake and in Penghu are both tight on race weekend, so book as soon as you have decided.
Event pages: Sun Moon Lake Marathon · Penghu Cross-Sea Marathon · Chiayi City Ponds International Marathon · Taiwan National Parks Marathon, Yangmingshan · Penghu stays
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Entry reminders
Entry dates and methods follow each organiser's announcements, and places at the popular races, the Taipei Marathon and Wan Jin Shi among them, are always contested, so do not miss the moment entry or the lottery opens. Set a free event alert on this site for the races you want to run, and we will email you when entry opens or a date moves.
More reading on the articles page, or go straight to the events calendar.