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Dubai Marathon Runner Comments
Back to Dubai Marathon Information & Reviews
Course 3.4 
Organization 3.0 
Spectators 2.5
Number of comments: 54 [displaying comments 1 to 11]
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j. s. from South Africa
(1/18/2024)
"Very Poor Organization" (about: 2024)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Dubai Marathon
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 I am writing to express my deep disappointment and frustration regarding the recent Dubai Marathon that took place on January 7th. While I had eagerly looked forward to participating in this event, my experience left me extremely dissatisfied, and I believe it is crucial to bring these issues to your attention for future improvements. The primary issue that marred the entire marathon was the complete lack of communication and organization at the start of the race. Runners were left in the dark as there was no announcement or clear indication of when the marathon would commence. This uncertainty resulted in a chaotic and delayed start, which ultimately affected the performance and morale of many participants, including myself. Furthermore, I was appalled by the decision to open roads to traffic a mere three hours into the race. This abrupt change in the course disrupted the flow of the marathon and prevented numerous runners, including me, from completing the race as planned. It was not only a logistical nightmare but also a safety concern. One aspect that particularly troubled me was the blatant dishonesty in stating that runners could finish on the footpath. This proved to be a bold-faced lie, as it was nearly impossible to navigate through the crowded footpaths, and it significantly hindered our progress. Such misleading information not only led to a disappointing experience but also raised concerns about the transparency of the event organizers. In light of these issues, I regretfully cannot recommend the Dubai Marathon to fellow runners or enthusiasts. The overall organization and execution of the event were extremely poor, and it failed to meet even the most basic standards of a well-organized marathon. I sincerely hope that you take this feedback seriously and use it as an opportunity to improve future editions of the Dubai Marathon. It is my belief that with better communication, enhanced organization, and honesty in event information, you can create a more enjoyable and successful experience for participants. JUST LIES..... | |
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R. N. from Saudi Arabia
(2/13/2023)
"Awful" (about: 2023)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Dubai Marathons
COURSE: 1 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 1 Dubai race organizers have ruined their race. They decided to replace a fast & flat course along the spectator-lined Jumeriah Beach coast with a race in the middle of nowhere (completely abandoned Dubai Expo City) where you run up several long, gradual grades on an 8-lane highway with ZERO spectators for 30km. The finish is better, with a fair amount of spectators, but marathoners have to weave in and out of hundreds of 4km race walkers for the last 1km since they share the same finish line. Hardly any electrolyte drinks offered, small bottles of water, and ZERO food along the course. Many other complaints as well; just a disaster of a race. Why Dubai cannot create an awesome destination-type marathon, perhaps a night race, which starts at the Marina and finishes at the Burj Khalifa is beyond me. So many runners would pay a huge premium to take part in an event like that. | |
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Y. N. from Abu Dhabi
(1/25/2017)
"Can be much better" (about: 2017)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Dubai Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 I ran this marathon this past weekend for a challenge and it was boring and uninspiring. Dubai could do much better in organizing this event. The course is flat, boring and with no music and hardly people cheering you on. I'm glad I had my own music otherwise it would be a nightmare. The weather is nice to run but that's about it. During the race patrol cars from the marathon were honking you to move and constantly driving on the course. I've run in Chicago and New York and having this experience really irritated me because you lose focus and at one point a police car intervened in the course to guide a stupid woman who was allowed to drive on the course! Complete nonsense. I ran it but won't be signing up again. Save your money and run somewhere else. | |
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M. H. from Vienna Austria
(1/24/2017)
"A nice alternative for winter" (about: 2017)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Dubai Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 Did the Dubai marathon as it is one of the few races in winter and by coincident I was in Dubai for some days anyways... The track is kind of boring as you only run on a straight line on the beach road. Not much to see on the course... However besides a bridge that needs to be crossed the course is absolutely flat. Race starts before sunrise when it's still little cooler (22C at the start in 2017). However it gets quite warm during the race with about 25C when i crossed the finish line. Adding the humidity and the strong sun (no shade along the course!) it made a quite hot race for me! The good thing is that drinks are served every 2,5k. Loved the bottled water! You will also find isotonic drinks and gels on the course. They had sponges very early in the race but when it got really hot (after 20k) they did not have any! So don't forget to keep one as it gets hot towards the end... Toilers are a problem as well. Very few in the beginning - none at the end (except 35k). Only few spectators along the course, but they still help keeping motivated when the legs get heavy. Summarizing the race it was ok for me as it fitted my training schedule. However there are many better alternatives if you don't have to race in the winter month. | |
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Y. M. from Dubaï
(1/20/2017)
"Unable to pickup 10k bagages" (about: 2017)
1 previous marathon
| 1 Dubai Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 What a mess this morning right after the 10k race to pickup bag at baggage area. I decided to pick it up later, and when I arrive at 2:30pm, everything was cleaned. I don't where my bag is. And no one to ask for it! | |
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T. N. from Dubai
(1/25/2015)
"Boring course, poor organization" (about: 2015)
3 previous marathons
| 1 Dubai Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 2 I ran the 2015 Dubai marathon last Friday Jan 23. There were some good things but overall it was my worst race experience to date. First, the good. The registration was simple and straight forward. Race pick-up was quick. Baggage drop-off was efficient. More than enough WC on the way to start area so no long queue problem. Sounds good so far? Wait!!! Now come the bad. Very poor communication. After the registration, there's absolutely NO communication from the race organizer until 5 days before the race day when I received an email telling me the time and location of the bib pick-up. And that was all the communication from the race organizer. Generally, before the race I want to know not only about the bib pick-up but also about logictics, things such as where exactly the start area, how to get there, what is the official start time. For more serious runners, they want to know exactly the kind of energy drink being offered on course and how far between water stations etc... You don't find these basic info on the website, instead, they give you a print in the race package that says 'everything you need to know abour the race' but in fact you'll find more advertising than useful stuff. The course is boring. Empty. No special landmark found along the course except the Burj Al Arab. There were a couple group of 5 people in uniform probably were paid to stay on course and cheer. I only saw some real fans toward the end of the race when I ran closer to the expat (marina) areas. Race day was a hot and sunny day but water stations are few and far in between. Runners had to take food and water offered by a local running club. Same thing happens every year, they give out water bottle (300ml) instead of paper-cup. They probably have thought that bottle would be easier for runners to carry along and drink when they need. In fact, most runners take a sip or two and ditch the whole bottle which not only is wasteful but also can become hazardous. And at the same time, they use paper-cup for energy drink?!?! Along 42km, I only saw 2 water stations that come with WC and there're only 2 porta-porties available at a time. This I couldn't understand because Dubai is quite obssesive about its fancy outside looks (buildings, streets) yet on that particular day they let thousands of runners pee on the street. All in all, I only enjoy the fact that I was running with my friends but totally dissapointed with the organizer. I think the poor organization wasn't because they didn't have experience or money but because they didn't put serious thought into it. Such a shame. | |
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J. A. from Washington DC
(1/23/2015)
"A big disappointment" (about: 2015)
11-50 previous marathons
| 1 Dubai Marathon
COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 The only good things about this race are the host city and the weather. There is no expo, only a packet pickup in a tent. The start line is so disorganized we had to fight through 35,000 10k and 4k runners and scale a barricade just to get to the start line. There were very few spectators. I counted 2 potty stops with a total of 2 port-a-potties at each....for 40,000 runners. I won't tell you how incredibly full was the one I attempted to use. There were no gels or food on the course....only water and a few sport drink stands. The course was supposed to close at 6 hours, but we were at the 40k mark at 5 hours and the police drove by and forced all of us onto the sidewalk while they opened up traffic. The finish line only had water and bananas. The shirt and medal were very plain. The course was flat but incredibly boring. I really expected more from such an extravagant city. | |
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Dieter Koester from New Delhi, India
(3/18/2014)
"Easy marathon, flat, good climate,but a bit boring" (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
| 2 Dubai Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I ran in Dubai in 2014 and 2013. The marathon is good for a first-time-runner or for someone striving to run his PB; The climate is just perfect (15 C at the start, later on around 20, and dry). Organisation and supply with drinks is also good (beside some smaller problems in the starting zone). it´s totally flat. The online-registration procedure is one the easiest one you can imagine, it doesn´t take more than one minute. And even when the delay is over, they had in 2014 last-minute registration desk....These are the pro....as for the negs i must say the course is quite monotonous and boring and even demotivating. It´s just the long coastal road (without any view on the seaside) in one direction way and back....not very hilarating. There are no special landmarks, beside the Borj Al-Arab (where it started and ended) and the Borj Khalifa which you see from far away...Beside that no special attraction which might push up your mind, when you might need as you approach the wall....nonetheless i might consider running there again next year, if i don´t find something more interesting.. | |
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J. S. from Doha, Qatar
(1/27/2014)
"Boring course but good for PR attempts" (about: 2014)
11-50 previous marathons
| 3 Dubai Marathons
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 The course is boring (one long out-and-back loop), but it's flat and made for the elites going for a record. Sadly, the organizers don't pay any attention to the needs of regular runners. Access to the marathon start from the bag drop area was blocked, so we had to walk through a construction site, drop and roll under the fence, and then climb through a hedge in order to get to the start. Things weren't any better at the finish. Rather than give us a lane or two of the four-lane road, they used that for the entrants in the 3k fun run and forced the marathoners onto a portion of the shoulder no more than 4-5 feet wide. It was nearly impossible to run more than two people across for the last half mile into the finish, making it hard to pass people who were just walking it in. Once across the line, we were shunted up onto the sidewalk again barely wide enough for two people to walk. No excuse for not using the wide street for the post-marathon finishing area. | |
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N. T. from Abu Dhabi, UAE
(1/26/2014)
"Was expecting more from richest marathon" (about: 2014)
4-5 previous marathons
| 1 Dubai Marathon
COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 3 It was great to get out and run, and the course itself was very flat. At the same time, it was a rather boring course (an out-and-back, so you see everything twice), and the organization was lacking. We got to the start area in plenty of time, but there was no way to get around all of the shorter-distance runners - there needed to be more maps and corralling of runners at different distances vs. spectators. I was also sad to see so much water wasted at the aid stations - instead of entire bottles, why not give a cup or two (what people will need for another 2.5 km)? It also would have been nice to have more music/bands (inc. Arab singers). Still, it was great to meet so many interesting people from so many different places - this is a good marathon to do if you're in the area - but I wouldn't necessarily go out of my way to do this marathon instead of one of the bigger, more organized ones. The organizers just didn't put enough thought into the experience of the average runner in the 2014 Dubai Marathon. |
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