By Harry Nara · Last updated
- Race pack collection opens, Dubai Media CityWednesday 13 January 2027
- Race pack collection closesSaturday 16 January 2027
- Where
- Start and finish at the Dubai Police Academy, with the course along Al Sufouh and Jumeirah Beach Road
- Tickets
- Free
- Time of year
- January
- Dates
- Around the same dates every year
Confirmed by the organiser as Sunday 17 January 2027. Race pack collection runs at Dubai Media City from Wednesday 13 to Saturday 16 January. Note that the race moved earlier in the month compared with the previous edition, which was held on 1 February, so a date remembered from last year is not a safe guide.
If you are running it, this is one of the fastest marathon courses anywhere: flat, cool and built for personal bests. If you are not running it, the thing you actually need to know is that the course closes Jumeirah Beach Road and Al Sufouh for a Sunday morning, and those are the roads that serve the beach hotels, the Burj Al Arab and Madinat Jumeirah. Guests staying in that strip regularly discover on the morning that they cannot drive out. Plan the morning as a walking morning and the day is fine.
What Dubai Marathon actually is
The oldest and biggest international marathon in the Middle East, run over the full distance alongside a ten kilometre road race and a short fun run, so it takes in serious international fields and families in the same morning. The full course starts near the Police Academy, runs out along Al Sufouh past the entrance to the Palm, turns back past Madinat Jumeirah onto Jumeirah Beach Road, and then runs two long laps of the coast road past the Burj Al Arab before finishing inside the Police Academy grounds. It is famously flat and famously quick, and the winning times reflect it.
Where to watch Dubai Marathon
- The Jumeirah Beach Road stretch, because the leaders come past twice. The course doubles back along the coast road, so a single position on that stretch gives you the front runners more than once without moving. It is also the part of the route with the most to look at while you wait.
- Near the Burj Al Arab junction, for the photograph everyone wants. The runners pass the most recognisable building in the city, and the light early on a January morning is excellent. It gets busy with spectators for exactly this reason, so arrive before the lead vehicles.
- The finish inside the Police Academy grounds, for the actual drama. The race finishes on the parade ground in front of the Academy grandstand rather than out on the road, which makes it a proper finishing straight with a crowd rather than a line painted on a carriageway.
- Anywhere near your hotel, if you are staying in the beach strip. This is the low effort option and it is a good one. If your hotel is on Al Sufouh or the beach road, the race is coming past your door whether you planned for it or not, so you may as well walk out and watch it.
- The fun run, if you have children with you. The short distance is a genuinely family event rather than a competitive one, and entering it is a far better morning with children than trying to spectate at the full marathon for three hours.
Tickets and what it costs
Spectating is free and unticketed. The course runs on public roads, there is no enclosure, and you can watch from anywhere along it. Runners pay an entry fee that depends on the distance, with the full marathon costing more than the ten kilometre race and the fun run cheapest; fees rise as the race approaches, so entering early is cheaper. Entry is handled on the official race site and includes timing, the race pack and the finish line services. Everyone entered has to collect a race pack in person beforehand at the expo in Dubai Media City, which runs for several days in the week of the race and is not optional. If you are travelling for the race, make sure your arrival leaves time for that collection window.
Official information and booking: dubaimarathon.org
Getting there
This is the part that matters for everyone, runners and non-runners alike. Road closures along Al Sufouh and Jumeirah Beach Road begin in the very early hours and stay in place until the field is through, which means most of the morning. Hotels in the beach strip will usually have advice at the desk and it is worth asking the night before. The metro is unaffected and is the reliable way to move across the city that morning. For the start, drive or taxi in very early or use the shuttle arrangements the organiser publishes; arriving late means the roads you need are already shut. If you have a flight or a booked activity that Sunday morning and you are staying anywhere along the course, leave a great deal more time than usual or arrange to travel the night before.
Mistakes worth avoiding
Not knowing the race is on
The most common problem by far. Visitors staying along the beach road wake to closed carriageways, a cancelled taxi and a missed booking. The fix costs nothing: check the race date against your dates before you book anything for that Sunday morning.
Assuming last year’s date
The race has moved within the winter window between editions, including a shift from the start of February to the middle of January. Anyone planning from memory or from an old guide will get it wrong. Take the date from the official site.
Leaving the race pack collection to race morning
There is no race morning collection. Packs are handed out at the expo across several days in the preceding week, and missing that window means not running. It is the single thing that catches out visiting runners.
Treating it as a hot weather race
It is deliberately held in the coolest part of the year and the early start keeps it cooler still. Runners who train for heat and dress for it end up overdressed. The bigger risk is the opposite one: standing around at the start in the dark is genuinely chilly.
Planning to drive to a viewing spot
The roads you would drive on are the course. Walk from where you are staying, or take the metro and walk in from the nearest station. There is no parking near the route on race morning.
Other Dubai events
Frequently asked questions
When is the Dubai Marathon?
It is held on a Sunday in the middle of January, confirmed by the organiser. Note that the race has moved around within the winter window between editions, including a shift from early February, so do not plan from a date you remember or from an older guide. The official site carries the confirmed date.
Which roads close?
The course runs along Al Sufouh and the length of Jumeirah Beach Road, past the entrance to the Palm, Madinat Jumeirah and the Burj Al Arab, with the start and finish at the Police Academy. Closures start in the early hours and last most of the morning. If you are staying in the beach strip, assume you cannot drive out.
What distances can I enter?
The full marathon at the standard distance, a ten kilometre road race, and a short fun run. The fun run is genuinely family friendly and is the sensible option with children. Entries are taken on the official site and the fee rises closer to the race.
Is it a fast course?
Very. It is flat, it is run in the coolest part of the year with an early start, and it has a long history of quick times and debut wins. It is widely regarded as the fastest marathon in the region, which is why it attracts strong international fields.
Can I watch for free?
Yes. The course is on public roads with no ticketed spectator areas, so you can watch from anywhere along the route. The coast road stretch is the best choice because the course doubles back and the leaders pass more than once from a single position.
Do I need to collect anything before the race?
Yes, and this is not optional. Every entrant collects a race pack in person at the expo in Dubai Media City during the week of the race, across several days ending the day before. There is no collection on race morning, so build it into your travel plans.
Sources
Dates on this page are checked against the organiser’s own listing and confirmed through 2027. Written and maintained by Harry Nara.