Course & Elevation
The Dead Sea Marathon is a running event at Ein Bokek on the Israeli shore of the Dead Sea, held on a Friday morning in early February and organised by the Tamar Regional Council. The first edition took place on 1 February 2019, replacing the long-running Ein Gedi Race. The marathon starts and finishes at the Ein Bokek hotel promenade and runs around the southern Dead Sea basin, which the organisers describe as flat and fast. The surface is mostly unpaved dirt road with potholes, cracks and stones, and the last kilometre is on a paved promenade. Runners cross the sea on earth embankments that are not open to the public on other days. The race starts at 6:15, with a cut-off of six hours, and the minimum age is 17. Other distances are 5 km, 10 km, 15 km, a half marathon named in memory of Tomer and Giora Ron, and a 50 km race that serves as the Israeli ultramarathon championship. About 8,500 people took part in the 2026 edition, which sold out two months before the start.
Course Facts
Weather
Typical climate for the race month — an estimate, not a forecast or a race-day record
18°C
Temperature
38%
Humidity
12%
Rain Chance
February at the Dead Sea is mild and dry: average highs are around 22°C and lows around 14°C, with relative humidity near 38% and rain on only three or four days in the month.
Get Your Training Plan
Free, personalized for this race
Get alerts for Dead Sea Marathon
Registration openings, date changes, sell-out warnings.