Star Wars Run manages to deliver sci-fi exercise despite flaws (PHOTOS)

December has been the month of Star Wars fever in the air. Following the release of “The Force Awakens” and the sudden sale of commercial Star Wars-themed products, Bangkok joined the Force and held its first Star Wars Run on Saturday after the event was a success abroad. Unfortunately, that success wasn’t mirrored in Bangkok as many stormtroopers-turned-runners went home disappointed.

On Saturday, the hashtag #starwarsrunthailand started trending on Twitter even before the race due to a 45-minute delay on the schedule. From 8pm, thousands of runners filled up the small Siam Square Soi 5 while many waited nearby as they couldn’t all squeeze into the alley.

As a Star Wars fan, you might have expected to hear the “Imperial March” playing in the background, but instead there was DJ Roxy June scratching some EDM and Thaitanium hip-hop. While waiting in long queues for any activities, from face painting to shopping for Star Wars merchandise that you could find anywhere, the only fun part was taking photos with fellow runners dressed up as Star Wars characters.

Many runners gave up on the race and took the BTS train home due to the delay. However, the force was still strong with the remaining 5,000 runners who waited to race the 7k route.

Along the route to the dark side (of Bangkok’s roads), there were three sci-fi-themed stations creating a Star Wars atmosphere for runners. However, the first kilometer felt more like running in the Capital of the Hunger Games world, as runners hit Rama I Road surrounded by fashion malls. Frustratingly, many had to stop at red lights to let cars pass in typical Saturday night traffic.

Located in front of MBK, the first Laser Station was guarded by two firing stormtroopers, who missed their shots at runners as they tend to do in the movies. All runners survived and moved onto the dark of Bantadthong Road, where it was easy for runners to imagine they were running on the moon or some planet far away. Next was Snow Station, located in the heart of newly opened Suanluang Square.

Next, runners were greeted by the familiar sounds of the Star Wars soundtrack as they hit Chulalongkorn Soi 7. Once they turned into Rama IV Road, the Space Tunnel Station, located in front of Chamchuri Square, was next. The station sadly didn’t rotate as advertised, but runners still had fun by taking selfies with Star Wars characters.

During the last two kilometers on Henri Dunant road, the darkness of the road inspired runners to run even faster to the finishing line. There, they were greeted with a medal and yellow ribbon, and most importantly, finally able to share their experience on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook with the hashtag #starwarsrunthailand.


“We are Star Wars fans. Overall, I liked the vibe of Star Wars Run Thailand. But I wish there were more runners dressing up as their favorite characters. It would be more fun,” said Jump and Chin, 34, bike shop owners.

“This is my first fancy race, but I have been running marathons for seven years already. Tonight I dressed up as Kylo Ren in a Santa beard because it was Christmas yesterday. My favorite part of the event was the fellow runners and their Force,” said Sumet, 33, business owner.


“To be honest, this is the most expensive race I ever joined, but the merchandise was nothing special at all. Also, the race started late, and we felt like we spent most of our energy waiting. We were disappointed in the three stations, which we looked forward to the most. But overall, it was a fun night to run with friends,” said Pla, Ming, Sa, and Ying.



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