HOKA Chiang Mai Thailand by UTMB®
HOKA Chiang Mai Thailand by UTMB® – SUTHEP 20-NIGHT
Chiang Mai PAO Park → Chiang Mai Pao Park
Race guide
Updated 18 July 2026
The SUTHEP 20-NIGHT is the short-course, after-dark option at HOKA Chiang Mai Thailand by UTMB. It is a 26 km loop that starts and finishes at Chiang Mai PAO Park, packing 1054 m of climbing into a compact night outing with a high point of 1179 m. The route leaves the park at 321 m, drifts out to the village of Mae Chok Luang, then swings up onto the flanks of Doi Suthep before dropping back to the city. Don't be fooled by the modest distance. With more than a thousand metres of vertical over 26 km and almost all of it stacked into a single sustained climb, the SUTHEP earns its 20 K UTMB Index rather than handing it out. Run at night, in the humidity of northern Thailand, it rewards runners who respect the ascent and keep something in reserve for the long technical return to the park.
The course: a night loop from Chiang Mai PAO Park
The SUTHEP 20-NIGHT is a point-to-point-feeling loop that begins and ends at Chiang Mai PAO Park (321 m). The first named waypoint is W4 Mae Chok Luang at 4.9 km, still low at 358 m, so the opening third is essentially a gentle, runnable approach through the urban fringe and lower slopes. This is where you settle into rhythm, get your head torch dialled in, and resist the temptation to bank time you'll want later. From Mae Chok Luang the character of the run changes completely. The route climbs onto the Doi Suthep massif toward the single aid station at A16 Montha Than Waterfall (14.6 km, 695 m) before turning for the descent back to the park at 25.6 km (320 m). With only two intermediate waypoints across 26 km, this is a course you run largely self-supported between the start and the waterfall, so carry what you need for the middle two-thirds.
Where the race is decided: the climb to Montha Than
Everything hinges on the pull between Mae Chok Luang (4.9 km, 358 m) and the high point near 1179 m before Montha Than Waterfall. That is roughly 800 m of net gain concentrated in the middle of the loop, and it is the reason a 26 km race carries 1054 m D+. Runners who blow the lower slopes trying to hold road pace will find the upper switchbacks turn into a walk regardless. The smart move is to hike the steep pitches with purpose and save your legs for what comes after the waterfall. From A16 Montha Than (14.6 km, 695 m) the course loses roughly 375 m back down to the park over the final 11 km. On tired legs, in the dark, a long descent like this is where quads get shredded and places are lost. Treat the climb as the effort and the descent as the test of your control.
Pacing and fuelling around the cut-offs
There are two hard gates. You must clear A16 Montha Than Waterfall by Sat 21:00 and reach the finish at Chiang Mai Pao Park by Sat 23:30. Because Montha Than is both the only aid station and the last checkpoint before the finish, plan your fuelling around it: top up fluids and calories fully there, because you have around 11 km of descent to the line with no further support. With the aid station sitting at 14.6 km, you have a long 14.6 km opening leg and an 11 km closing leg to cover between fixed support. Carry enough water for humid conditions and enough food to cover a two-part race on either side of that single stop. The generous gap between the Montha Than cut-off (21:00) and the finish cut-off (23:30) means a controlled 11 km descent should keep you inside the limit, but only if you arrive at the waterfall with margin rather than scraping in.
Conditions to expect
This is a night race in northern Thailand, so the two dominant factors are darkness and humidity. A reliable head torch with spare batteries is non-negotiable given how much of the course sits above the lit city between Mae Chok Luang and the waterfall. The evening start takes the edge off the heat, but the air stays warm and heavy, and sweat rates on the climb to 1179 m can be high, which is why fluid discipline matters more than the short distance suggests. Expect the terrain to steepen and become more trail-like as you gain the Doi Suthep slopes, then to demand focus on the long drop back to the park at 320 m. Footing in the dark on a descent of this length is the crux for many runners. Finishing and crewing both happen at Chiang Mai Pao Park, which is a crew point, so support can meet you at the line even though the middle of the loop is run alone.
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Checkpoints & cut-offs
✓ Course data verified against the official source (2026-07-17) · official source
0 km · 321 m · —
4.9 km · 358 m · —
14.6 km · 695 m · Sat 21:00
25.6 km · 320 m · Sat 23:30
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