World-renowned US magazine Forbes has selected Cambodia’s Angkor Empire Marathon as one of the 12 hottest, most attractive marathon events that will take place worldwide in 2026.

The January 18 article “Twelve Marathons Worth Travelling For in 2026”, described the event as a unique event, held in Cambodia’s world-famous Angkor Archaeological Park. The race route passes through rice fields, scenic villages and as many as 40 ancient temples.

“The most outstanding highlight of the Angkor Empire Marathon is running past Angkor Wat, the largest religious monument in the world and a remarkable masterpiece of Khmer architecture. Angkor Wat is also one of the world’s most famous UNESCO World Heritage sites,” Forbes noted.

The event joined several other world-class events on the list, including the London, New York and Boston Marathons, along with several spectacular one-off races, including the Big Five in South Africa, the Great Wall in China and the Cayman Islands Marathon, as well as the Queenstown Marathon, staged in New Zealand.

Following the publication of the article, Vath Chamroeun, secretary-general of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia (NOCC), expressed his pride that the Angkor Empire Marathon is gaining increasing international recognition and visibility on the global stage.

He expressed hope that Forbes’ selection will attract more runners to the 11th Angkor Empire Marathon, scheduled for August 2, 2026.

He noted that the 10th Angkor Empire Marathon in 2025 recorded a total of 4,224 runners, including 3,462 national athletes and 762 international runners from 47 countries.