Since 2019, the marathon has switched to a two-day format due to the growing number of runners, spread out over a race weekend period.

The purpose was to coincide with the launch of Malaysia's inaugural National Sports Day which is held annually on the second week of October.

Some runners were intending to be participating in other running events on 10 October in addition to the KL Standard Chartered Marathon on the 4th, which resulted in dates being clashed.

Concern was also turned to the international runners who were planning to fly into Malaysia just for the marathon, as they need to change their flight tickets, which had already been booked.

Critics also accused the government of trying to hijack the event for political mileage and take advantage of the marathon to achieve high turnout for the National Sports Day.

[8] The Ministry eventually rescinded the marathon's date to the original schedule of 4 October following the backlash, in a statement on 16 July 2015.

I've read all your tweets, Facebook messages and emails regarding the date change of the Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2015.

To join organised runs like the Standard Chartered KL Marathon or the Spartan Race, dance at the Score FitMob, play football or badminton, or just get out there to your local neighbourhood park with your loved ones and do something.

It was a joint decision between the ministry, Standard Chartered, Dirigo Events and DBKL, and for that I thank them for their commitment and support to this national agenda.

It was not to “hijack” their event to artificially boost participation for the inaugural National Sports Day or to achieve my KPI.

We have jointly come to the conclusion that the Standard Chartered KL Marathon will be reverted back to October 4, considering the many issues that have been raised.

On behalf of the ministry, Standard Chartered, Dirigo and DBKL, I apologise for the inconvenience caused by the earlier change in date and I hope that you all will still come forward to support the National Sports Day.

Khairy Jamaluddin, Minister of Youth and Sports, in a statement on 16th July 2015[9]The 2015 Kuala Lumpur Standard Chartered Marathon was eventually cancelled due to a sudden resurgence in the 2015 Southeast Asian haze which affected most parts of Malaysia.

[12] Runners who participate this marathon will run through the notable places and landmarks in Kuala Lumpur such as National Mosque, National Museum, Kuala Lumpur Railway Station, KL Sentral, Mid Valley Megamall, Thean Hou Temple, Stadium Negara, Royal Selangor Golf Club, Bukit Bintang, Jalan Imbi, KL Tower, Petronas Twin Towers, Istana Budaya, PWTC, Parlimen Malaysia and end at Dataran Merdeka.

Runners would pass by the SOGO Shopping Center and the red light district of Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman.

Runners would then follow Jalan Ampang towards the Bukit Nanas station where they can catch a glimpse of the Kuala Lumpur Tower.

The route than turns into Jalan Sultan Ismail to give runners a tour of the Bukit Bintang area, where runners would head past shopping malls and various landmarks, such as Wisma Genting, Lot 10, Sungei Wang Plaza and Bukit Bintang Plaza.

The run then passes by the Malaysia Tourism Center and the old Lai Meng girls' school before reaching the Petronas Towers.

The runners then run up the ramp leading towards the highway, following the course of the expressway, as they cross the Jalan Tun Razak and bypass the Saloma Bridge.

After 2 kilometers, runners then enter the Duta-Ulu Kelang Expressway (DUKE) to continue their journey back to Dataran Merdeka.

During the marathon, the DUKE Expressway is closed in only the westbound direction heading towards Petaling Jaya, Shah Alam and Sungai Buloh.

The marathon course then exits the DUKE Expressway at the Batu toll plaza which is on the westbound side of the highway, to meet Jalan Kuching, where runners would use this road to head back to Dataran Merdeka.

Runners then go up a flyover and a hill and make a 180-degree u-turn to enter Dataran Merdeka via the southern road exit from Jalan Raja before finishing in front of the Sultan Abdul Samad Building.

[38] Following such incidents, the organizing team of the marathon established the 'Medic on the Run' programme in collaboration with Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur in order to have an enhanced emergency response team to deal with emergency situations in future marathons, starting with the 2024 edition, which comprise staff from the hospital.

Starting 2010, five organisations such as Malaysian Association for the Blind (MAB), Malaysian AIDS Foundation (MAF), National Cancer Society of Malaysia (NCSM), Children's Environmental Heritage Foundation (YAWA) and Standard Chartered Trust Funds (SCTF) are also benefited by the charity earned from this marathon event.