Road closures, prizes, routes, and more — as the Ooredoo Doha Marathon approaches, here’s everything that you need to know in the build-up.
The Doha Marathon 2025 by Ooredoo is set to make its comeback on January 17, for what its organisers have termed as the largest ever in the event’s history.
According to its organisers, the marathon is expecting 15,000 participants over various categories for this year, two thousand more than last year’s record-breaking figures.
This year’s marathon has also received the Gold Label, the second-highest label in World Athletics.
With the event just days away and plenty to look forward to, here is everything that you need to know ahead of Friday:
Categories, timings, and routes
In what started initially as a half-marathon in its first edition, the Doha Marathon by Ooredoo will have four different categories in its 2025 edition.
All the races will start at the Hotel Park, close to the Sheraton Grand Doha Resort and will finish there, after following a route around the Doha Corniche.
The full marathon, the longest in the set of races, will start at 6 am on Friday and the route will consist of the inner arches.
Second to start on Friday will be the half marathon, which will set off at 4:20 am, finishing after 21 kilometres across the Doha Corniche, on a route similar to the full marathon but with fewer rounds.
The route will be similar to the 10-kilometre event, except the participants will return from the five-kilometre mark along the Doha Corniche. The race will start at 8:15 am, from the same starting point as the previous two events.
The shortest of the competitive races on Friday, the 5-kilometre event, is set to start at 8:40 am and will cover only half of the Doha Corniche’s arch. The race is open to participants over the age of 12.
The event will also have a Kids Fun Run, a non-competitive one for those aged five to 12 years on January 16. There is no set route for this category, since it is organised to encourage toddlers and pre-teens to take up running and have fun.
Distances up to 21 kilometres are open to individuals with disabilities and were not charged any registration fee by the organisers.
Participants can collect their kits, from the Marathon Village in Hotel Park, until January 16, between 3 to 9 pm.
What is at stake?
The prize pool for this year’s marathon exceeds a whopping QAR 1 million, alongside two Toyota cars that will be raffled to decide the winner. All participants who complete the race are eligible to enter the raffle.
Qatari participants in the marathon are eligible to compete under the “Al-Adam” category, with special cash prizes. The top three among the Qatari participants will be invited to participate in future marathons by the Qatar Athletics Federation.
Every participant will get a photo of themselves in action upon completion of the race, made possible by the marathon’s partnership with Sportograf.
Uganda’s Solomon Mutai won the men’s marathon, while Valary Jemeli of Kenya was the first to finish in the women’s category in 2024.
Morocco’s Mouhcine Outalha clocked the marathon’s fastest timing in 2023, finishing at 2 hours, six minutes and forty-nine seconds.
Alkass TV will broadcast all the action from the marathon live, as a part of the agreement signed recently.
Road Closures
Roads close to the marathon will be closed from 10 pm on Thursday until 2 pm of the race day.
Roads in Al Dafna, Corniche, Al Bidda, Souq Waqif, Msheireb and nearby will be affected by the closure.
Several free parking spots have been arranged by the organisers for those arriving for the marathon, details of which can be found below:
