Haze forces Kuching Marathon 2026 cancellation at eleventh hour

The sun is seen through the haze near the Sarawak State Legislative Assembly building in Kuching on September 1, 2026. The Kuching Marathon 2026 scheduled for Sunday (September 27) has been cancelled due to the prevailing haze situation affecting Kuching and surrounding areas. — Bernama pic

First Published: Friday, 25 Sep 2026 5:23 PM MYT

KUCHING, Sept 25 — The Kuching Marathon 2026 scheduled for Sunday (September 27) has been cancelled due to the prevailing haze situation affecting Kuching and surrounding areas.

In announcing the cancellation, the Kuching Marathon Association (KMA) said it had been continuously monitoring Air Pollutant Index (API) readings and other environmental indicators since the onset of the haze.

It said the decision was made after consultation with relevant authorities and medical advisers, with the health and safety of participants, crew members, volunteers, officials, medical teams, and the public taking precedence.

“To honour the commitment of our runners, all registered participants may collect their finisher medal and finisher tee starting tomorrow at Plaza Merdeka Shopping Centre (Alfresco Area),” KMA said in a statement.

It added that detailed collection schedules and instructions would be announced on its official social media platforms.

The cancellation came shortly after State Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah visited the Kuching Marathon registration and race pack collection at Plaza Merdeka.

Map shows the route for what would have been the 42km full marathon. — Picture from Facebook/Kuching Marathon via The Borneo Post 

When met by reporters, Abdul Karim had said the decision on whether the marathon could proceed would depend on the prevailing haze situation and assessments by the relevant authorities.

Abdul Karim, who is also State Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Minister, said the State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) had established indicators based on API readings to determine whether outdoor events could be safely held.

“I’m not in the capacity to say yes or no for the race to be conducted, because we in Sarawak do have the SDMC to determine whether an outdoor event should be held or not,” he said.

He also said more than 13,000 participants had registered for this year’s Kuching Marathon.

The first Kuching Marathon was held on August 17, 2014, and has since grown into one of Borneo’s largest international mass-participation running events.

Participation grew rapidly, surpassing 10,000 runners by 2019, with subsequent editions attracting participants from more than 40 countries. — The Borneo Post