Sun Moon Lake Marathon: Dates, Tickets & Venue (Nantou)

A race around Taiwan’s largest lake

The 2026 edition runs on November 1. Sun Moon Lake (日月潭, Rìyuètán) is the largest freshwater lake in Taiwan, at roughly 750 metres up in the hills of central Nantou County. The race is known locally as 日月潭馬拉松.

The lake road climbs and dips between forested headlands, so this is not a flat course. Runners pass the lakeside villages and the temples on the slopes above the water. Early November is the start of the cool, drier season in central Taiwan, which is why the event sits in the autumn calendar.

This marathon is a separate event from the Sun Moon Lake Swimming Carnival. That is a mass open-water crossing, usually held earlier in the autumn.

Getting to the lake road

There is no train to Sun Moon Lake. Most visitors arrive by bus or car.

• From Taichung HSR Station: Nantou Bus route 6670 runs to Shuishe, the lake’s main village. The ride takes roughly 90 minutes to two hours.
• From Taichung city: buses run from the stations near Taichung Railway Station.
• By car: Provincial Highway 21 circles much of the lake. Expect road closures on race morning.

Shuishe and Ita Thao are the two villages with most of the rooms. Runners usually stay the night before in one of them, or in Puli, about 30 minutes north by road. Rooms beside the lake are limited, so the overflow ends up in Puli.

Race morning beside the water

Mist often sits on the water at dawn here, and it lifts as the sun rises over the eastern ridges. Runners usually reach the start area well before the gun, because lake buses run on reduced schedules while roads are closed.

• Paying: an EasyCard (悠遊卡) works on Nantou buses and at the 7-Eleven and FamilyMart in Shuishe.
• Tipping: it is not customary in Taiwan, and nobody expects it at guesthouses or restaurants.
• Food: convenience stores in Shuishe and Ita Thao open early. Runners rely on them for rice balls, bananas and hot soy milk before the start.
• Etiquette: spectators usually stand back from the narrow lakeside verges. Some stretches of the road have barely a shoulder.

The lake after the finish

The lake rewards a day spent off your feet. These are its main stops:

• Lake boats: they link Shuishe Pier, Xuanguang Pier and Ita Thao Pier. They are the easiest way to see the shore again without walking it.
• Ita Thao: the village of the Thao people, the lake’s Indigenous community. Its lanes are lined with food stalls.
• Xiangshan Visitor Center: an architect-designed concrete building with a reflecting pool facing the water.
• Wenwu Temple: it stands on the northern shore, with its stone lions and long staircase.
• Ci’en Pagoda: it sits on a hilltop above the southern shore. The climb is a stiff one for tired legs.
• Sun Moon Lake Ropeway: it runs from Ita Thao to the Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village, a theme park in the hills to the east.

Many runners add a night in Puli. The town is known for its Shaoxing wine brewery and its paper-making heritage.