The 26th Dubai Marathon: runners from 150+ countries, a 5:45am start and no bib pickup on race day.

Facts checked 5 November 2026 on dubaimarathon.org. The Dubai Marathon is on Sunday 17 January 2027, with the elite marathon starting at 5:45am, the mass marathon at 6:30am, the 10km at 8am and the 4km at 10am. Registration is open and the organiser's fees are USD 150 for the marathon, USD 85 for the 10km and USD 50 for the 4km. The 2026 race had 19,338 participants from 151 countries.

Bibs are collected in person at The Agenda in Dubai Media City, from Wednesday 13 to Saturday 16 January (Wednesday 12pm to 10pm, Thursday and Friday 10am to 10pm, Saturday 10am to 5pm), with photo ID and your confirmation email. The organiser says numbers cannot be collected on race day. The marathon finishes at the Dubai Police Academy grandstand (2026 route); the organiser's pages name different roads for the start, so wait for the 2027 map before planning a walk.

On race morning the organiser strongly recommends public transport and says there is no public parking near the finish. In 2026 the Metro ran from 5am, and the organiser's guide for walkers goes from the Metro bridge at Mall of the Emirates past the Police Academy to the back of the start. It asks runners not to park around Jumeirah Beach Road, Al Sufouh, Madinat Jumeirah or the Police Academy, to arrive at least 90 minutes before the start, and to expect extensive road closures. The marathon has a six-hour limit. Our reading: hotels in Al Sufouh, Dubai Media City, Dubai Marina and Al Barsha are the closest to the start and to bib pickup.