Petra Desert Marathon

Course & Elevation

The Petra Desert Marathon is an adventure marathon and 25 km ultra half marathon in and around the ancient city of Petra, Jordan, held on a Saturday in early September. It is organised by Albatros Adventure Marathons, a Danish travel company, and international runners enter through a tour package that includes entry to Petra. The marathon starts at 06:30 in Petra, before the site opens to the public, and takes runners past rock-carved tombs and temples before heading into the Jordanian desert. The surface is gravel roads, paved roads and sand, and the organiser describes challenging climbs. The marathon route includes an out-and-back stretch of 16 km, where runners collect a wristband at the 8 km turn and are disqualified without it. The route is not closed to traffic, but police guards warn drivers. There is little shade, and the organiser warns that temperatures on race day can reach 35°C. All distances have 7 hours to finish, and the marathon route closes at the 31 km mark five hours after the start, so runners who have not passed it by 11:30 cannot finish. The field is capped at 500 participants.