July 30th, 2022

Dubai Marathon Set For February 2023 Return

(July 30, 2022 – Dubai, UAE): Originally scheduled to come back on to the global sporting calendar in December 2022, the Dubai Marathon will now return to action on Sunday, February 12, 2023.

With the 2022 FIFA World Cup being staged in Qatar from November 21 to December 18, thousands of football fans have decided to base themselves in Dubai during the event as a result of the serious shortage of flights and hotel rooms now being reported in Qatar. This has resulted in a shortage of affordable hotel accommodation in Dubai, while flight availability to the city around the marathon’s original date is limited.

And with the Dubai Marathon expected to feature over 30,000 participants across three races, event organisers – in agreement with the Dubai Sport’s Council – have decided on the date change in order to satisfy the demand from international runners keen to participate in one of the world’s fastest marathons.

“As always, we kept an eye on the situation regarding flights and accommodation not only for the elite athletes coming to compete but also for marathon tourists, which are marathon and 10km runners based overseas who enjoy coming to Dubai to test themselves on a flat, fast course,” said Event Director Peter Connerton.

“Our first Dubai Marathon after the lifting of the pandemic restrictions should be a celebration of running and we wish to encourage athletes to come and enjoy everything the city has to offer. By moving the date to February, we are confident our overseas competitors will be able to avail of better flight and hotel options both in terms of choice and affordability. The date change will also allow us to provide the same  for our team of overseas event officials, media representatives and spectators.”

All runners who have already registered to take part have been contacted by the Dubai Marathon office regarding the change of date.

The last time the hugely popular event was staged in January 2020, many of the world’s best international marathon athletes joined more than 25,000 runners to take to the streets of the UAE in the Dubai Marathon and the associated 10km event and 4km Fun Run.

And following discussions with the Dubai Sport Council, preparations are now underway for the 22^nd staging of the Dubai Marathon with registration now open for the three race-event. Runners looking to secure a place in the race of their choice can do so now, through this website only.

The 2023 Dubai Marathon will also be the first in the event’s history to be staged on a Sunday following the change in the UAE working week. For runners both elite and amateur alike, the news is a welcome boost after a long period of inactivity due to the necessary health and safety restrictions activated because of the global pandemic.

“It has been a very challenging time for the sports events industry, so we are excited to be able to look ahead to working closely with the appropriate Dubai Government departments to stage another memorable race,” added Connerton.

“We have enjoyed a close working relationship with the city for many years and we now look forward to taking the next step and working to grow the event, inspire the people of the UAE to become more active and health conscious and underline the Dubai Marathon as one of the world’s greatest distance races.”

Recently ranked third of all global marathons by World Athletics, the Dubai Marathon regularly attracts participants from around 145 countries and produces many of the fastest times in the sport.

At the time of the most recent Dubai Marathon in 2020, Dubai had produced 24 of the 100 fastest men’s times in history, while 18 of the 100 fastest women’s times in history had been set over the streets of the city.

Over the coming months, runners will be encouraged to take part in the full marathon, the popular 10km road race and the 4km Fun Run with registration information and event news available through the event website, Twitter and Instagram.