14th Jiaoxi Hot Spring Marathon 2026

The 14th Jiaoxi Hot Spring Marathon takes place on Saturday 12 December 2026 in Jiaoxi Township, Yilan County, north-eastern Taiwan. Organised by Jiaoxi Township Office and Jiaoxi Township Council, this established destination race combines road running with the town's hot-spring culture, countryside and regional food. The programme welcomes marathoners, half-marathoners, 10K runners and families joining the 3K. All four events start and finish at Jiaoxi Elementary School, 135 Section 4, Jiaoxi Road.

Course and race-day programme

The full marathon follows a predominantly lowland road course beyond the hot-spring town, passing rural settlements, irrigation waterways, Chaiwei Irrigation Watergate Park, Longtan Lake Park and Sanmin Wetland Park. Shorter courses use parts of the same network, with the half marathon also passing Tangweigou Hot Spring Park. The detailed route notes describe the half-marathon course as approximately 21.5 km, although the entry category is advertised as 21K; runners should consult the organiser's GPS route rather than assume an exactly certified half-marathon distance.

The full marathon starts at 06:20, half marathon at 06:35, 10K at 06:50 and family 3K at 07:05, all local time. Cut-offs are 6 hours 30 minutes, 4 hours, 2 hours and 1 hour respectively. The marathon has intermediate closure points at 10:30 (Qingsong Guesthouse) and 11:54 (Wusha), with a final 12:50 finish deadline. Baggage storage begins at 05:20 and the opening ceremony at 05:50. Timing mats are removed shortly after each start, so late departures may not receive a valid result.

Registration and runner logistics

Entries have standard and lower-priced sustainable options. Sustainable entrants forgo selected clothing and towel gifts, reducing merchandise. A refundable NT$100 timing-chip deposit applies separately. The live registration homepage currently shows a 20 October 2026, 23:59 Taiwan time deadline, subject to capacity. Some older regulations and cached subpages display earlier deadlines, so the live entry page should take precedence.

Domestic race packs are posted in advance, expected in the week before the race; there is no normal race-day check-in. Overseas runners collect in person with identification at Jiaoxi Township Tourism Industry Development Office, third floor, 243 Section 1 Zhongshan Road, on 10–11 December, 10:00–17:00. Paid one-way morning shuttle buses can be booked from Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu and Taichung. No return service is provided.

Finish-line experience

Official support includes refreshments, medical assistance, baggage storage, post-race meals, commemorative gifts, finisher medals and electronic certificates for eligible finishers. Standard packages also include an event shirt, with certain distance-specific towel or cushion gifts. The organisers highlight local refreshments such as kumquat tea and regional dishes. Overall trophies are awarded to the top three men and women in the marathon, half marathon and 10K, with additional age-group prizes for the longer races. The event encourages reusable cups, environmentally conscious clothing and digital certificates.