Taiwan's Rice Heaven Tianzhong Marathon 2026

Taiwan's Rice Heaven Tianzhong Marathon returns to Changhua County on 8 November 2026 as one of Taiwan's best-known town-based road races. The event is built around Tianzhong's rice-growing landscape rather than a stadium precinct, with runners moving through farmland, irrigation channels, local streets, villages and the foothill roads around Tianzhong, Shetou and Ershui. The marathon route received World Athletics and AIMS certification on 23 September 2026.

Race day begins before sunrise near Jingsong Cultural Education Park. The 42.195K marathon starts at 06:20 and has a 6 hour 10 minute limit. The official half-marathon category starts at 06:40 with a 3 hour 30 minute limit, while the 9.7K health run starts at 07:15 and the 4.6K inclusive run at 07:00. The start arch is also the finish arch near the Tianzhong Township Office.

The full marathon heads through the high-speed rail district, rural roads, the Babao irrigation system, cycling paths and the Shetou hosiery area before returning through Tianzhong. Published marathon cut-off points are around 20.7K at 09:40, 26.5K at 10:30 and 37.5K at 11:50. Local volunteer operations include official aid stations and mobile safety support along the course.

Demand is substantially higher than capacity. The 2026 ballot attracted 42,196 registrations, with 16,316 runners initially selected across the marathon, half-marathon and health-run categories. Overseas runners had a dedicated entry channel, with the first 500 eligible foreign applicants able to secure entry without the general ballot.

The weekend also includes local activities and Runner's Night on 7 November. Taiwan-main-island runners receive race packs by post before race week, while overseas and outlying-island runners collect in person at the venue on 7 November.