ماراثون الرياض
Difficulty
Marathon Index Score
2026 edition held Jan 31, 2026
Next edition expected
Usually January
2027 date not yet confirmed
Get Your Training Plan
Free, personalized for this race
The Riyadh Marathon is a road marathon in the Saudi capital, run by the Saudi Sports for All Federation with the support of the Ministry of Sport and the Saudi Arabian Athletics Federation. It was first held on 5 March 2022 and the organisers describe it as the first official full marathon in the Kingdom. The 2026 edition took place on a Saturday in late January, alongside a half marathon, a 10 km run and a 5 km fun run. All distances start inside the campus of Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University in northern Riyadh and finish there. The 5 km and 10 km races stay on the university's internal roads, while the half marathon and marathon go out onto major roads in northern Riyadh, including Prince Badr bin Abdulmohsen bin Abdulaziz Road, Anas Ibn Malik Road, Uthman bin Affan Road and Thumamah Road. The marathon is a loop of roughly half-marathon length that runners complete twice, and the start and finish lines are a few hundred metres apart. The race has carried World Athletics Elite Label status since its first edition, and it is a professional event with Ethiopian and Kenyan winners among the men and a course record of 2:06:27 set in 2022. Race week also includes a free public festival at the university.
Typical climate for the race month — an estimate, not a forecast or a race-day record
January in Riyadh is mild and dry: average highs are about 20°C and lows about 9°C, with rain on only around two days of the month.
Riyadh
The Riyadh Marathon was first held on 5 March 2022 and is billed by its organisers as the first official full marathon in Saudi Arabia. A half marathon had been held in the country in 2018, but the full distance only arrived with the 2022 race. Ethiopia's Tsegaye Getachew won that first edition in 2:06:27, a time that still stands as the men's course record.
🏅 Create Your Riyadh Marathon Diploma
Finished this race? Get a free certificate with celebrity comparisons & race day weather
02:06:27
Tsegaye Getachew (2022)
Entry fee, registration dates and lottery rules are not confirmed here yet. Check the official registration page.
Register Now
Official Website →
Are you the race organizer?
Free · Get featured on our homepage · Edit your race details
Get alerts for Riyadh Marathon
Registration openings, date changes, sell-out warnings.