Angkor temple hosts half marathon on 6 December

The Angkor temple in Siem Reap, Cambodia, will host the international half marathon on 6 December 2026. The race starts and finishes in front of the temple and forms a current travel peg for visitors planning a December journey to the archaeological park.

The monument is commonly identified in English as Angkor Wat, but the visible event information uses the shorter designation Angkor temple.

International half marathon starts at Angkor temple on 6 December

The published event programme lists the 31st international half marathon for Sunday 6 December 2026. The Cambodia Events organiser gives the venue as in front of Angkor Wat Temple in Siem Reap and lists 21 km, 10 km, 5 km and 3 km distances. The same schedule places the event between 5am and 10.30am, although this article does not treat the race timetable as normal monument opening hours.

The event is organised by the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia, the Association of Athletics Federation of Cambodia and Cambodian Events Organizer Co., Ltd. It is managed by the Angkor Wat International Half Marathon Organizing Committee and supported by the Cambodian authorities responsible for tourism, culture and the Angkor site. The published race programme says the event has supported people affected by antipersonnel mines since its first edition in 1996.

The course links the race directly to the temple landscape rather than using the monument as a distant backdrop. The organiser describes a flat route with ancient trees and around 14 temples, giving the December event a sporting function inside the World Heritage setting.

Angkor temple forms part of a 400-square-kilometre heritage site

Angkor stands in Cambodia’s northern Siem Reap province and is part of an archaeological park extending over approximately 400 square kilometres. UNESCO says the park contains the remains of successive Khmer capitals dating from the ninth to the fifteenth century, together with temples, reservoirs, canals and routes.

Angkor temple, the Bayon, Preah Khan and Ta Prohm are among the monuments named by UNESCO as examples of Khmer architecture. The race’s start and finish therefore sit beside one temple within a much larger cultural landscape, while its route connects the event with roads and other monuments across the protected area. UNESCO’s Angkor entry records the property’s inscription in 1992 and its protection under Cambodian heritage measures.

Visiting Angkor temple: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• The international half marathon takes place on 6 December 2026, with the start and finish in front of the temple in Siem Reap.
• The published event concerns a race across the archaeological area, so visitors planning a temple visit should expect sporting activity around the frontage and route on that date.
• The organiser lists 21 km, 10 km, 5 km and 3 km courses, while the wider Angkor landscape includes around 14 temples along the described route.
• Angkor lies in Siem Reap province, and the event page identifies the start area as approximately 6 km from Siem Reap town.
• Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.

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Frequently asked questions about Angkor temple

When does the international half marathon take place at Angkor temple?

The race takes place on Sunday 6 December 2026, starting and finishing in front of the temple in Siem Reap.

What is Angkor temple?

It is the best-known temple within the Angkor archaeological park, a UNESCO World Heritage property inscribed in 1992.

Where is Angkor temple and how do you get there?

The temple is in Siem Reap province, Cambodia. The event page places the race start approximately 6 km from Siem Reap town.