Qatar East to West Ultra
Qatar's oldest and longest endurance running race.
Race facts
- Race
- Qatar East to West Ultra 2026
- Date
- Friday, 27 November 2026
- Start time
- 05:00
- Start
- Sheraton Park to Dukhan Beach
- Distance
- 90 km, solo or relay teams of up to 6
- Entries
- Entries open — enter the race
- Organiser
- Qatar Ultra Runners
The race
The Qatar East-to-West Ultramarathon is a 90 km endurance race, starting from the Doha Corniche near the Sheraton Hotel and finishing at Dukhan Beach on Friday, 27 November 2026.
Participants may register in one of the following divisions: Individual Division: The participant completes the full 90 km distance alone. Team Division: The race stages are divided among team members according to the divisions and regulations approved by the Organizing Committee.
Before starting the registration, please select the appropriate division and prepare the personal details, emergency and medical information, and a copy of each participant's QID or passport. Registration Conditions
All information must be accurate and match the participant's official identification document. A clear copy of a valid QID or passport must be uploaded for each participant.
The registration form and payment must be completed in one session. The form cannot be saved and completed later.
Places are limited. Opening or starting the form does not reserve a place. Registration is confirmed only after successful payment and receipt of an official confirmation.
Registration fees are non-refundable. Registrations may not be transferred, and participants may not be substituted except in accordance with the cases and procedures approved by the Organizing Committee. The selected T-shirt size is not guaranteed. T-shirts and sizes will be provided subject to availability.
Registration and pricing
Registration is online through the QSFA app, with mobile sign-up and payment, multi-currency support for international athletes, and a team formation flow for relay captains.
- Solo runnerQAR 300 for the full 90km
- Relay team memberQAR 150 per runner, teams of up to 6
Support: info@qur.qa. An on-site registration and solutions desk is available at race pack collection.
Register on the QSFA app
Aid stations
A total of 10 aid stations line the 90km route — 5 main feed zones and 5 mini water stations. The main stations carry electrolytes, water, fruit and gels, with refreshments at the relay exchange zones and a recovery food and drinks area at the finish line.
Getting there and getting back
The race finishes 90km from where it starts, so transport is arranged in both directions.
- Buses run from the finish line back to the start line
- Post-race transport back to Doha is provided
- Designated parking is available at the finish line venue
- Sweep vehicles patrol the route throughout the race
Safety and medical
- Medical and first-aid points positioned along the full 90km route
- Sweep vehicles patrolling the course throughout the race
- Road management coordinated with the Ministry of Interior across multiple municipalities
- Severe weather contingency procedures in place
- Emergency contact on race day: +974 3372 1474
Volunteers
The journey starts here. Between 120 and 150 volunteer marshals are deployed across the 90km route on race day. The race does not happen without them.
The course
90 km, station by station
- From the last
- 0 km
- Total
- 0 km
Racers gather from 3am at Sheraton Park. At 5am, runners leave the start line heading for the first aid station at QNCC.
- From the last
- 10.7 km
- Total
- 10.7 km
- Support
- Water, refreshments, fruit and nuts
After 10.7km, runners reach the first main aid station at the QNCC building. Runners then start the longest section of the race.
- From the last
- 22.5 km
- Total
- 33.2 km
22.5km after QNCC, runners reach the Shahaniya aid station, in front of Shahaniya Desert Garden — home to 62 varieties of wild tree and a small zoo with animals native to Qatar, including oryx and reem deer.
- From the last
- 14.9 km
- Total
- 48.1 km
- Cut-off
- 13:00
48.1km into the race, and 14.9km on from S2 in the middle of the desert, runners reach the third main station. This station must be reached before 1pm to stay inside the cut-off.
- From the last
- 14.3 km
- Total
- 62.4 km
- Cut-off
- 15:30
Owaina station sits 14.3km after Nasraniya. After this station, runners cross to the opposite side of the highway.
- From the last
- 14.6 km
- Total
- 77 km
- Cut-off
- 18:00
The last main aid station, 13km from the finish line in the Zekreet area, known for its rock formations.
- From the last
- 13 km
- Total
- 90 km
- Cut-off
- 20:00
After 90km, runners reach the finish line and race village at Dukhan Beach, where you can celebrate, take on recovery food and drinks, watch a sunset — hopefully — and reflect on the day you have had.
Race weekend
Schedule
- 14:00 – 20:00Race pack collection[Venue TBC]
- 18:30 – 19:30Race briefing[Venue TBC]
- 03:30 – 04:45Bag drop-off (individual runners only)Sheraton Park
- 04:00 – 04:45Timing chip collection (teams only)Sheraton Park
- 05:00Race startSheraton Park
- 13:00Station 3 cut-off — 48.1 km
- 15:30Station 4 cut-off — 62.4 km
- 18:00Station 5 cut-off — 77 km
- 20:00[Finish line cut-off — 90 km]Dukhan Beach
2025 by the numbers
- participants
- 1,800participants
- nations
- 75nations
- water stations
- 5water stations
- feed zones
- 5feed zones
- international runners
- 120international runners
Rules
Teams can consist of anywhere between 2 and 6 runners.
Teams are only allowed to change runners at the five main aid stations.
For a team to be considered a finisher, all six segments must be completed by at least one team member.
It is up to each team to decide which runner takes which segment. Team members do not have to run in the order of their bib numbers.
Refreshments are available at every relay exchange zone.
For supporters
QEW Ultra is a sporting and cultural festival that brings together people of different athletic abilities, genders and backgrounds in a country where diversity is hard to miss.
Every year the roadside fills with supporters who arrive at 5 in the morning and stay until the end of a very long day. They create an atmosphere that has a real effect on how runners finish.
Supporters are welcome and encouraged, with the following rules in place to keep the race safe and fair:
Supporters are allowed to hand runners food and drinks during the race.
Support vehicles must not be in front of the runner at any point of the race.
Runners must not be in physical contact with support vehicles. This includes being in or on the car.
Support vehicles must not interrupt traffic at any point of the race.
Every year
Editions
- 2026Entries open
27 Nov 2026 · Sheraton Park to Dukhan Beach
East to West returns for another unforgettable crossing of Qatar. 90km. One country. Thousands of runners. One journey from coast to coast.
- 2025Completed
5 Dec 2025 · Sheraton Park to Dukhan Beach
The race continued its extraordinary growth, welcoming approximately 1,800 runners — including 1,646 athletes across 296 relay teams and 154 individual runners. From 25 runners in 2017 to 1,800 in 2025, East to West had grown into a truly national endurance event.
- 2024Completed
13 Dec 2024
A record 1,500 athletes from 73 nationalities took on the 90km journey across Qatar. With 230 relay teams and hundreds of individual and team runners, East to West reached its biggest edition yet.
- 2023Completed
15 Dec 2023
East to West reached another milestone with approximately 1,000 athletes representing 73 nationalities. What began with 25 runners had now grown into one of Qatar’s largest endurance running events.
- 2022Completed
6 Jan 2023
With Qatar hosting the FIFA World Cup, the 2022 race was moved to 6 January 2023. A record 748 athletes from 67 nationalities took part, continuing the event’s remarkable growth during a historic period for Qatar.
- 2021Completed
10 Dec 2021
The race reached a new level with more than 650 athletes from 56 nationalities crossing Qatar from east to west. Around 35% of participants were Qataris, highlighting the event’s growing local impact alongside its international reach.
- 2020Completed
11 Dec 2020
Despite the challenges of the COVID-19 period, East to West went ahead with more than 400 runners representing 44 nationalities, under extensive health and safety measures. It became a powerful demonstration of the resilience of the running community.
- 2019Completed
6 Dec 2019
The third edition welcomed around 245 runners, marking another major step forward for the race and showing that a small endurance challenge was quickly becoming a recognised community event.
- 2018Completed
30 Nov 2018
East to West returned as an official race and grew to 100 participants — four times the size of the original challenge. The journey from Sheraton Park to Dukhan Beach was beginning to establish itself on Qatar’s running calendar.
- 2017Completed
15 Dec 2017
It started with just 25 runners taking on the challenge of crossing Qatar from coast to coast. Only 5 runners completed the full 90km, laying the foundations for what East to West would become.