Siem Reap Guide for Angkor Wat Marathon Runners – Where to Eat, Drink, Spa

Our Siem Reap guide for Angkor Wat marathon runners heading to Cambodia for the Angkor Wat International Half Marathon in December has suggestions for hotels to stay at in Siem Reap, restaurants to go to load carbs, spas to get a well deserved massage, and bars and pubs to celebrate after your efforts and share stories.

This Siem Reap Guide for Angkor Wat marathon runners travelling to Cambodia in December for the Angkor Wat International Half Marathon has our tips for hotels to stay in Siem Reap, restaurants to go to load carbs, spas where you can get a massage post-run by a qualified therapist, and restaurants, bars and pubs where you can celebrate your achievement.

The annual Angkor Wat International Half Marathon takes place on 1st December this year on what must be the world’s most beautiful marathon course, through the heavily forested UNESCO World Heritage listed Angkor Wat and other Angkor temples. Siem Reap bustles that weekend with carb-loading runners in town, keeping cafes and restaurants busy as they prepare for a big long sweaty early morning run through the breathtaking temples.

Started by Japanese running enthusiasts in 1996, the Angkor Wat International Half Marathon raises funds for Cambodian landmine victims and attracts runners from all over the world, including other victims of landmines from across the globe. It was also intended as a symbolic appeal for support to ban the use of antipersonnel mines.

Entry fees and other funds raised from the event are used to provide prosthetic limbs for landmine victims, support social reintegration and education programs, and support hospitals in Cambodia, such as Angkor Children Hospital and Kantha Bopha Children Hospital.

And who wouldn’t want to participate in a marathon through the awe-inspiring World Heritage site of Angkor Archaeological Park and get to run past stupendous temple ruins, such as Angkor Wat and Bayon? I’d imagine if you haven’t visited Angkor before it would be hard not to stop to gape at the jaw-dropping monuments.

Update 8 December 2024: the 2024 Half Marathon was a huge success. If you’re dreaming of heading to Siem Reap for the 2025 Angkor Wat Half Marathon read this report on the 29th Angkor Half Marathon in the Phnom Penh Post and bookmark this page. Don’t hesitate to leave questions here; we respond to every comment.

Siem Reap Guide for Angkor Wat Half Marathon Runners – Where to Eat, Drink, Spa

Angkor Wat half marathon takes place from 5.30am to 10.30am on the first Sunday of December. The start point is in front of Angkor Wat temple in Angkor Archaeological Park, which is also where runners finish.

Angkor Wat temple is only around 6-7kms from Siem Reap – depending on which route you’re taking and where you’re staying – and without traffic it takes around 15-20 minutes by tuk tuk and 10-15 minutes by vehicle. Runners must arrive at the start point at least 30 minutes before the starting time.

The road to Angkor Wat there is a narrow two-lane road and last year participants reported traffic jams so allow plenty of time. The 21km Wheel Chair race starts at 5.50am, the 21km Half Marathon at 6am, the 10km Road Race and the 10km Artificial Arm/Leg Race at 6.20am, and the 3km Family Run at 6.40am. Everyone can participate in all races.

Once you start, note that every 1km of the running course will be marked by a sign board on the right side of the road. There are water stations every 2kms with water and electrolytes, and some have bananas, and when you finish, there’s free food and drinks for runners at the finish area.

While December marks the start of winter and dry season in Cambodia, the temperature ranges from 24-33˚C (75-91˚F) and humidity averages 45% at that time of year, although at 6am it’s obviously going to be at the cooler/lower end at 25˚C.

The Angkor Wat International Half Marathon is organised by the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia, Association of Athletics Federations Cambodia, and the Cambodian Events Organiser, and sanctioned by the Association of International Marathons and Road Races, and the Association of Athletics Federations Cambodia.

If you can’t make it to this year’s marathon, start planning for the 2025 Angkor Wat International Half Marathon.

Good luck, everyone!

Where to Carb-Load, Get a Massage and Celebrate – A Siem Reap Guide for Marathon Runners

This Siem Reap guide for Angkor marathon runners is specifically aimed runners in town for the Angkor Wat International Half Marathon, hence the suggestions for carb loading and massage spots. If you’re just here on holidays, browse our Siem Reap guide for plenty of travel tips, reviews and itineraries.

Where to Eat Pre-Marathon for Carb Loading

If you’re heading to Siem Reap for the Angkor Wat international half marathon then you’ll be looking for restaurants where you can eat plenty of pasta, potatoes, rice, and other high carb foods before the big run. Carbohydrates are your best source of energy and you’ll need a lot of energy to run a half marathon.

Where to Breakfast in Siem Reap

You’ll love breakfast in Siem Reap. Most Siem Reap hotels offer generous breakfast buffet spreads while cafés in Siem Reap cafes offer everything from fruit, muesli and yoghurt to eggs Benedict and omelettes.

In the Old Market quarter in the heart of Siem Reap, try New Leaf Café. In the increasingly cool Wat Bo neighbourhood, Banlle offers delicious, healthy vegetarian and vegan food, Footprint Cafe and Dialogue serve good cafe food, do great coffee, and blend fantastic juices. 

At Kandal Village, on Hup Guan Street, Little Red Fox Espresso does Siem Reap’s best coffee and good breakfasts. You’ll also find your tortillas in Kandal Village, at Maybe Later, a Mexican taco eatery.

Some experts advise marathon runners to eat rice for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There is absolutely no shortage of rice in Siem Reap – rice is a Cambodian staple eaten at every meal in the form of steamed rice, rice porridge and rice noodles. Just head to any of the best Cambodian restaurants, local eatery or market stall. Siem Reap hotels are also happy to provide guests with big bowls of rice.

Sports nutritionists also recommend marathon runners eat oatmeal, bread, tortillas, waffles, pancakes, bagels, yogurt, juice, and fruit. You’ll find most of those items on the generous breakfast buffets at good hotels in Siem Reap and if you don’t, ask nicely and they will promptly appear. Siem Reap hotels are very accommodating.

Where to Buy Fruit, Fruit Juices and Smoothies in Siem Reap

There are juice stalls around the Old Market area that will blend you a tropical fruit juice to order for $1. Most add milk or yoghurt to make fruit smoothies so let them know in advance if you want fruit juice only. These stalls are popular and safe.

You’ll find fruit in abundance in Psar Chas (Old Market) and other Siem Reap markets. Just ensure you wash the skin well with bottled water. Baked potatoes are also fantastic for carb loading and if you’re in Psar Chas you should spot roving vendors will large platters piled high with an array of baked potatoes, sweet potatoes and purple yams.

You’ll find plenty of cafés in Siem Reap, that can do wonderful freshly squeezed fruit juices and shakes, as well as offer oatmeal, pancakes, waffles, yoghurt, fruit, and the like.

Where to Buy Electrolytes in Siem Reap

Supermarkets such as Angkor Market on Highway 6 and Angkor Mini Mart on Seven Makara Road have yoghurt, fruit and juices. You can also pick up some electrolytes there and at any good pharmacies such as U-Care Pharmacy opposite Pub Street and on Sivutha Boulevard.

Where to Eat Pasta in Siem Reap

Marathon runners in Siem Reap in recent years have bewilderingly reported difficulties finding pasta. Most Siem Reap hotels offer pasta dishes, however, Siem Reap is also home to some excellent Italian restaurants. In Kandal Village, Mamma Shop on Hup Guan Street is one of the best and makes handmade pasta in house.

In the Old Market quarter, near Pub Street, Il Forno has authentic Italian pastas and pizza, although it can get hot in there. La Pasta on 2 Thnou Street (AKA Hospital Road) offers more handmade pastas.

On the Siem Reap riverside, L’Oasi Italiana was one of the town’s first Italian restaurants and remains a favourite, with a lovely garden setting to boot. Dolce Vita in Wat Damnak Village is also popular and also offers fresh pasta.

If you can’t get a table at any of those Italian restaurants and are really desperate, you could also try The Pizza Company in Heritage Mall opposite the Royal Gardens. I’d recommend giving any of the Happy Pizza joints a miss before the race, for obvious reasons. And probably after the race as well.

Apparently most marathon runners don’t carb load properly, which is such a shame after training so hard to then find out you don’t have enough energy during the race. For advice on carb loading before a marathon see this guide to the right way to carb load before a race on Runners World.

If you find even better spots for carb loading please do let us know in the comments below and we’ll add them to our Siem Reap guide for Angkor marathon runners for next year’s marathons.

Where to Eat Post-Marathon for a Celebratory Meal

Now that you’re done with carb loading and can celebrate your achievement – you finished the marathon right? And you raised money for a good cause! – you can eat whatever you like to your heart’s content.

Our Siem Reap guide for Angkor Wat marathon runners would be remiss if it didn’t include some Cambodian restaurants, and Siem Reap has some of the best Cambodian restaurants in Cambodia, from eateries offering traditional Cambodian food to fine-diners led by a new wave of young Cambodian chefs cooking what I call New Cambodian Cuisine.

Try The Sugar Palm for a warm welcome and chef Kethana’s Cambodian home-style cooking. You’ll find refined Cambodian food at elegant Malis restaurant; Chanrey Tree, next door, has seating in a gorgeous tropical garden, and Mahob Khmer offers modern Cambodian food. For more creative, contemporary takes on classic Cambodian dishes, book at table at Lum Orng Farm to Table, Embassy, Jomno, and Pinak Pou at Maison 557.

You can continue to give back to Cambodia by dining at one of the social enterprise hospitality training restaurant, cafes and bakeries such as Spoons, Bayon Coffee Shop and Bakery, and Sala Bai (only open Monday-Friday), that are helping to pull disadvantaged Cambodians out of poverty.

Where to Spa to Soothe the Post Marathon Pain

The spas in Siem Reap are outstanding and amazing value with one hour massages at the best Siem Reap spas costing as little as $25-30. Of course there are much cheaper massages available at massage joints dotted around the Old Market area and along Sivutha Boulevard but most masseuses and masseurs are not qualified.

Most good boutique hotels offer spas and massages for very reasonable prices in their on-site spa or in your room. The standalone spas that we recommend are Bodia, Frangipani and Sokhak Spa. If a $20 massage is still above your budget, you can always settle for a $2 foot massage around Pub Street.

Where to Drink for Post Marathon Celebrations

Our Siem Reap guide for Angkor marathon runners wouldn’t be complete without some suggestions for where to drink for post marathon celebrations.

Miss Wong mixes Siem Reap’s best cocktails in an atmospheric old Shanghai style bar on Street 26. On the same street, Laundry Bar is a casual French-ran dive bar that’s best for beer, music and the pool table.

In the Wat Damnak neighbourhood, Wild Bar has a lovely garden peppered with comfy bean bags you can sink into as you sip a cocktail. On a lane perpendicular to Pub Street, Asana has a laidback vibe in the Old Town’s last traditional wooden house and is the home of the Khmer cocktail.

See our guide to the best bars in Siem Reap for links to Miss Wong, Asana, Laundry Bar, and more watering holes.

What to Do in Siem Reap if You’re Staying on After the Marathon

If you’re staying on after the marathon, see our guide to things to do in Siem Reap and if you’re keen to see the temples at a slower pace, see our guide to lesser-visited, off the beaten track temples, this archaeologist’s guide to Angkor Archaeological Park and how to get more out of the temples, including doing more pre-trip reading.

Published 1 December 2018; Updated 16 November 2024

If you used our Siem Reap Guide for Angkor Wat half marathon runners we’d love to know if it was helpful.