BCA CitraLand Marathon: Dates, Tickets & Venue (Surabaya)

Racing the heat in West Surabaya

A December marathon in Surabaya is a deal you strike with the climate. The city sits at sea level on the north coast of East Java. It is hot and humid all year, and December falls in the wet season, when heavy afternoon storms are common.

The BCA CitraLand Marathon takes place on December 6, 2026. It runs out of CitraLand Surabaya, a sprawling residential township on the city’s western edge. Instead of narrow old-town streets, you get wide boulevards, landscaped medians and gated clusters of houses. That makes it one of the more open, road-closure-friendly settings for a city race in Indonesia.

Five ways to enter

The race covers almost every level of runner. The categories are:

• Ekiden relay: a team event that borrows the Japanese format, with runners splitting the distance into legs and handing over between them
• 5K: the entry point for first-timers and families
• 10K: the most popular distance at most Indonesian road races
• Half marathon (21.1 km)
• Full marathon (42.195 km)

The Ekiden is the category to look at if your group spans several fitness levels. Each runner covers one leg, so a club can field its fastest and its newest members on the same team. Category rules, team sizes and registration sit with the organiser’s official race channels.

CitraLand as a race venue

CitraLand Surabaya is a township developed by the Ciputra group. It covers a large area of West Surabaya, toward the Lakarsantri and Sambikerep districts. The roads are built for cars and are noticeably wider than in central Surabaya. Footpaths, roundabouts and tree-lined medians break up long straight stretches of asphalt.

Shade is the honest weak point. Planted trees line many roads, but long sections are exposed once the sun climbs. Runners who know Surabaya treat hydration stations as fixed appointments, not optional stops.

Getting to the start line

Most out-of-town runners fly into Juanda International Airport. It sits south of the city in neighbouring Sidoarjo regency, so the drive to West Surabaya crosses most of the metro area. Surabaya Gubeng and Surabaya Pasar Turi are the main train stations for anyone arriving by rail from Jakarta or elsewhere on Java.

Within the city, people get around by Grab and Gojek, both of which offer cars and motorbike taxis. On race morning, pickup points near closed roads get congested. Runners staying nearby often walk the last stretch. Hotels in West Surabaya and around the CitraLand area are the usual choice for anyone wanting a short trip before dawn.

Race morning, Surabaya style

Indonesian road races usually start in the dark to beat the heat. Expect the start area to fill with runners in club singlets, warming up under floodlights while the sky is still black. A few habits help:

• Pay by phone. QRIS codes, GoPay and OVO are everywhere in Surabaya, including at food stalls. Small notes in rupiah still help at the simplest warung.
• Collect your race pack in advance. Indonesian races normally hand out bibs and timing chips at a set collection point in the days before. Runners rarely expect race-morning pickup.
• Run in groups. Running communities are big in Surabaya. Clubs often travel together, set up tents and take team photos at the finish.
• Respect the call to prayer. Subuh, the dawn prayer, often falls near pre-dawn start times. Nearby mosques broadcast the azan, and some Muslim runners pray before heading to their corral.

Speaking a few words of Bahasa Indonesia goes a long way with volunteers. Terima kasih is thank you; air is water.

Refuelling after the finish

Your first post-race meal is a chance to taste the food Surabaya is known for. Look out for:

• Rawon: a black beef soup coloured with keluak nuts, an East Javanese classic
• Lontong balap: rice cakes with bean sprouts, tofu and a sweet soy dressing
• Rujak cingur: a salad of fruit and vegetables with sliced cow’s snout in a dark shrimp-paste sauce
• Soto ayam: a turmeric chicken soup served all over the city

G-Walk, CitraLand’s own cluster of food stalls and restaurants, is the obvious nearby option. In the city centre, the House of Sampoerna museum and the Suramadu Bridge to Madura are popular half-day add-ons for runners staying another night. Pack a light rain layer for the afternoon. December storms tend to roll in after the morning heat breaks.