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 journey across Qatar, from Doha’s Corniche near the Sheraton Hotel to Dukhan Beach on the western coast. From the city’s waterfront to the finish by the sea, the race offers a chance to experience the country on foot.
Take on the full distance solo or share the challenge in a relay team of up to six. Whether you are an experienced ultrarunner or joining with friends, colleagues, or your running club, each stage is part of the same coast-to-coast journey.
Runners, volunteers, and supporters bring the event to life, with encouragement along the route and a shared sense of achievement at the finish. It is a test of endurance, a team effort, and an opportunity to be part of Qatar’s running community.
The coast-to-coast route
On Friday, 27 November 2026, runners will set off from Doha’s Corniche near the Sheraton Hotel and cover 90 km to Dukhan Beach on Qatar’s western coast.
The route connects the capital’s waterfront with the other side of the country, taking runners through a changing landscape on their journey to the finish. Participants can complete the full distance individually or divide the stages among a relay team of two to six runners.
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.
Before you register
Choose your segment before starting your registration. Individual participants complete the full 90 km themselves. Relay teams share the race stages in accordance with the Organizing Committee’s rules.
Have each participant’s personal details, emergency contact details, medical information, and a clear copy of a valid QID or passport ready. All information must match the participant’s official identification document.
Allow enough time to complete the registration form and payment in one session. Your progress cannot be saved and completed later.
Registration conditions
Places are limited. Starting the registration 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 the cases and through the procedures approved by the Organizing Committee.
The selected T-shirt size is not guaranteed. T-shirts and sizes are subject to availability.
Relay team rules
- Teams must consist of 2–6 runners.
- Runners may change only at the five main aid stations.
- All six segments must be completed by at least one team member for the team to qualify as a finisher.
- A runner who starts a segment must complete it.
- The next runner must wait for their arriving teammate before beginning their segment.
- Teams decide who runs each segment. Runners do not need to follow their bib-number order.
- Refreshments are available at every relay exchange zone.
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
Recommended kit
- Comfortable running shoes you have already trained in.
- A hydration pack or belt for carrying fluids between stations.
- Sunscreen, a hat, and sunglasses.
- Anti-chafing lubricant.
- A charged phone and portable charger.
- A fully charged headlamp and an extra layer for the evening.
- Spare clothing, socks, and comfortable footwear for after 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
Runner conduct
- Follow instructions from race officials, marshals, and medical personnel.
- Treat volunteers, officials, and fellow runners respectfully. Verbal or physical aggression is not acceptable.
- Dispose of rubbish in the designated bins. Do not leave bottles, wrappers, or other waste along the route.
- If you withdraw from the race, promptly inform a race official or volunteer.
Information for supporters
Supporters are welcome along the route. Please follow these rules to help keep the race safe and fair
- Supporters may hand runners food and drinks during the race.
- Support vehicles must not travel in front of the runner at any point during the race.
- Runners must not make physical contact with support vehicles, including being in or on a vehicle.
- Support vehicles must not interrupt traffic at any point during the race.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. They must bring your registration confirmation SMS or email and identification for both of you. A team leader or designated member may collect the entire team’s bibs by presenting copies of every team member’s QID or passport.
No. Bibs must be collected during the announced race pack collection period.
Bag drop is available for individual runners only. Each runner may leave one bag with the supplied numbered tag attached. Hand it in only at the designated bag drop area.
Individual runners can access their bags at the third main aid station and at the finish. Bags are transferred onwards according to the published race schedule.
Inform a race official or volunteer promptly. The guide provides a sweep bus following the last runner; it continues at that runner’s pace. If you need an earlier return to Doha, arrange your own transport.
A relay team can have between two and six runners. Together, the team must complete all six segments.
Each runner receives their own bib number, and the team receives one shared timing chip. Pass the team chip to the next runner at the designated exchange station when changing runners. The final runner must carry the team chip across the finish line.
Yes. Once a runner starts a segment, they must complete it. Runner exchanges are allowed only at the five main aid stations.
No. Your team decides who runs each segment. There is no requirement to follow bib-number order.
The next runner must wait for the arriving teammate. Starting before your teammate arrives can result in the whole team being disqualified.
Yes. Multiple team members may run together and cross the finish line as a group. However, timing only counts one team member, and the chip cannot be switched.
Keep your bib clearly visible on the front of your clothing throughout the race.
Yes. Supporters may provide food and drinks. Support vehicles must not drive in front of runners or obstruct traffic, and runners must not be in or on a vehicle.
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 collectionVenue TBC
- 18:30 – 19:30Race briefingVenue 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
- 20:00Finish line cut-off — 90 kmDukhan Beach
2025
By the numbers
- participants
- 1,800participants
- nations
- 75nations
- water stations
- 5water stations
- feed zones
- 5feed zones
- international runners
- 120international runners
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.
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