Marathon Details - Dead Sea Marathon

International Marathons > Jordan > Dead Sea > Dead Sea Marathon

Dead Sea Marathon & Ultra Marathon

Dead Sea, Jordan

April 5, 2013

http://www.deadseamarathon.com

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Contact

Name:	Ms. Maryana Abbasi
Address:	Dead Sea Ultra Marathon H.Q. The Society for Care of Neurological Patients P.O.Box 940222 Amman 11194 - Jordan
Phone Number:	011 962 6 567 7660
Fax Number:	011 962 6 566 0296
Email:	Email the organizers



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Reviews

Course 3.6

Organization 3.4

Spectators 2.3

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Number of comments: 11 [displaying comments 1 to 11]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 > ]

R. S. from Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia (4/17/2012) "Serious Safety and Organizational Issues" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Dead Sea Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 Many aspects of the race were well done. Upon registering, I was contacted by a local travel agent who proved to be incredibly competent, honest and reliable as we planned our trip to to Jordan. The start of the ultra-marathon was well organized and efficient. There were beverages and toilets available, and the race started on time. Two lanes of traffic were dedicated to the 50-60 ultra marathon participants. For the first 30 k, the course significantly dropped in elevation providing amazing views and pleasant temperatures. Water was regularly distributed by very attentive volunteers and local police and traffic control was spotted everywhere around the course. However, after completion of the first half of the ultra, cars and busses periodically began to appear on the course. The drivers seemed genuinely confused by the runners, however this confusion did not cause the drivers to decrease their speed or give runners much clearance as they sped past. At the 28 k mark I was struck by the driver side mirror of a 4 door sedan as it split the difference between myself and my running partner at 35 km/h. The driver pulled off the road 100 meters ahead near some local police. I angrily explained the situation, however with the language barrier I didn't make much progress. At the 40k mark temperatures started to reach the high 80's and no more water was available on the course. More and more cars began to appear as well as we abandoned the course for the sidewalk. In the last few k it was difficult to clearly find the race path. We spotted the finish line 100 meters away however there were a number of cars, buses and large groups of teenagers clogging the street. When I finished with my partner, no one was at the finish line and my wife had to go find someone to give me a medal. I don't mind the indifference to our finish, but I guess the most confusing part of the whole experience is that this race bills itself as an Ultra-Marathon, yet seems to have no concern at all for the small group of participants actually doing that race. For example, at noon (about 5 hours after the start) the race officials boxed up all the gear bags of the participants who had not yet finished the race and sent them back to Amman. I get the impression that there are a number of very hardworking individuals (like Nelly from Yolla Tours) who are trying to make this race a success, but their efforts are overshadowed by a lack of organization and communication as a whole.
Z. R. from Jordan (3/17/2012) "Challenging race in a great destination" (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons \| 2 Dead Sea Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I ran the 10K and 42K of this marathon and now I am running the 21K. Organization is getting better and better and I believe this year it will be outstanding. The 10K and 21K are excellent training races for other marathons. The 42K and 50K are very challenging because of the downhill. The 50K is the same as 42K but starts with 10k of slight downward slope. Don't get fooled by the downhill - easy on the heart but hard on legs. The muscles will work very hard but if you do downhill training you will enjoy the run. Especially this year, you will most probably run in a spectacular view and an unusually green scenery from all the rain we got this winter. If you bike, then I suggest you bring your bike to the dead sea and enjoy a beautiful bike ride (rentals available but not for road bikes)
Z. R. from JOR (2/6/2011) "A great destination - a good race" (about: 2010) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Dead Sea Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 Jordan is a great tourist destination, so enjoy the Dead Sea, the Baptism site, Petra (1 of 7 Wonders), Wadi-Rumm (amazing views), Aqaba, Jarash and Amman (a beautiful city). The course is scenic and historically relevant. Enjoy a nice stay at one of the Dead Sea hotels (a bit expensive but worth it). The start is 42K away from finish but the finish is very close to hotels. The meeting area is in Amman, so staying at a Dead Sea hotel is good only if you have a way to make it to the start. I suggest you stay in a Amman hotel (pick a 5 starts hotel - closest to start), get to the start and then check-in to a Dead Sea hotel at the finish. You can give your stuff to the organizers and get it back at the finish. So pack light! Now the race! First, train well. You need to run at least 10K of continuous downhill at least twice because if you don't you will have sore muscles only after 20K and you won't be able to finish. You will go from +2,800 feet to -1,000 feet, so forget about a reverse split strategy. If you legs can take it, expect to run 10-15% faster with same heart rate for the first 20K, so plan on that. The last 20K is mostly flat with a few humpbacks. Check weather because in winter it could be snowing in Amman and you can swim at the Dead Sea. In 2010 the weather was really nice at the start and finish. Overall, it is a good race. I will try it again this year - 2011.
D. B. from England (10/25/2010) "Not a Race of a lifetime!" (about: 2010) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Dead Sea Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 Ran the ultra this year. Not being a racing snake, I ran 5:15. I ran almost the whole 50K alone with almost no spectators. A bit chaotic in the morning with a late disorganized start. Why do we pay $100 for a run with a very basic t-shirt that everyone running a 10K to a 50K runner gets? Also, the drink stations had no water by 40K. Don't do it without your own drinks if you plan to do over 4:30. Main road/motorway all the way. I'm not usually a grump about runs, but I have done numerous European runs at a fraction of the cost that were much more enjoyable.
M. A. from Jordan (4/10/2010) "Nice scenery; brutal, hilly course" (about: 2010) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Dead Sea Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 I ran the 50K race. Beautiful countryside during the run; but if you can't do some proper hill training, this may not be the run for you. Organization was very poor. I will just list the four main low points: 1) They did not start on time (it was about 7 degrees Celsius at the start time, so we were getting cold standing around); start time was delayed by about 20 minutes; 2) there were no starting mats for timekeeping, so the "official" finish time records are too high by over 13.5 minutes (I have the statistics on my GPS-enabled HRM watch); 3) having only one pick-up station for bags was a very stupid plan - I almost got knocked over (legs are very wobbly after the pounding on the hill) by very rude children who did the fun run and were pushing people around. Organizers should have separated out the ultra and marathon runners by giving them a separate bag pick-up area; 4) I had to run through about 12 spectators who were standing, not beside, but actually ON the finish line! I didn't give a damn about the two I knocked over. If they got hurt, too bad - they are not supposed to be obstructing the runners! Race officials: this is absoluely inexcusable! Most local spectators just stare blankly as you smile, wave and say, "Hello" when you run past, so you may as well ignore them and save your energy/breath. The bright spot in this sea of madness were the water station volunteers - they were absolutely excellent, and were there with smiles and encouragement as well as ample water. Best to take your own gels and electrolyte powder (I kept two bottles in my waste belt with powder, which I filled later on in the race when I needed the isotonics). For this run, it may be worthwhile doing it once to see the sights and claim bragging rights, but I just don't think this one will be worth a repeat.
R. K. from Ramallah, Palestine (4/22/2009) "Loved it; I would totally do it again!" (about: 2009) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Dead Sea Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This year it was very well organized. They have thought of everything: water stations every 3K, bananas at 11K, and Gatorade at 15K. There were not many spectators, which is cool with me, as I really like running alone. The finish line celebrations was great. I ran the 21K half-marathon. It was a flat, easy run; and the weather was cool and breezy when we started, but at the finish line there was a lot of direct sunlight. Don't forget your sunscreen!!! I recommend you staying in the resorts and not going back to Amman; the drive back in the bus was brutal. (My legs were killing me from sitting in the bus. All) in all, I loved the experience. This was my first half-marathon and it was definitely the right choice.
M. C. from Vietnam (10/19/2008) "Hard on the legs, but very satisfying...." (about: 2008) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Dead Sea Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 This was my first marathon and I found it truly a wonderful experience. The first 20KM are downhill and by that I mean like a crazy downhill gradient; this is quite nice, but the payback in the legs definitely kicks in during the second half. When the course flattens out, it's really hard work, as the legs have taken a beating on the hill.... My splits were 1:24 for the first half and 1:34 for the second half. It was great to break three hours, but I think this isn't a course you would come to in order to get a quick time.... Pretty well organized, except (as stated already) the chaos trying to get bags back at the end. Mona, the travel agent linked to the race, was cool and set up everything up for me really well as a non-Jordanian runner.... On the whole, a really good race. Stay in the Movenpick after the race; it's very near the finish line and has lovely swimming pools and excellent buffets.
M. M. from Maine, USA (4/27/2008) "Highly illogical, Captain... but do it once anyway" (about: 2008) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Dead Sea Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 If oxygen levels are more sparse (and at times are thusly worse) in high-altitude training or in mountain-top races, it stands to reason that there would be more oxygen (and at times the levels are thusly better) in lowest-altitude marathon on earth, right?... WRONG!... I needed a full extra hour over my typical marathon time (and almost 2 extra hours over my PR) to finish this bad boy. Not sure whether it was the heat (person who wrote it was 90º F at finish may've been conservative) or some intangible (salty air for miles along Dead Sea?), but this race was brutal. The first half is straight downhill, so enjoy your split. The second half is mostly flat with a few bounces. Good as a destination marathon (go see Petra, Wadi Rum, Jerash, biblical stuff). Yolia from Moonlight Travel (exclusive organizer/registrar for foreign racers) really has her act together. Very organized. Although criticisms from other 2008 participant about check-in and luggage return were valid (absolute pandemonium), I was relieved I hadn't used bag check for this one. And also, even if you bring your own toilet paper, which many people had the foresight to do, the few bathrooms were unusable after an hour. Bunches of runners resorted to trou-dropping hillside by start, among un-shepherded goats!... Anyway, in spite of Dead Sea Marathon's limitations, I likewise recommend it for one time, but there probably aren't many annual repeaters for the full marathon or ultra.
R. F. from Tel Aviv (4/23/2008) "Run this race only once in your lifetime." (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Dead Sea Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 This race is worth the effort to run once just to say you've run to the lowest point on earth. Downhill course, so, easy and fast if the weather is cool. It was 65 degrees at the start, 90 at the finish. Lots of direct sunshine; bring sunscreen and use it! Carry your own nourishment since only water is available along the course - plenty of H2O! Distances are not accredited. Packet/bib pick-up is a little disorganized and confusing. Nice pre-race pasta party. Little to no crowd support. More for local runners, ex-pats, and adventure seekers. Excellent finish/celebration area but carry money since food and drink at the finish must be purchased. I ran the 48.7 KM ultra-marathon; not much more than a full 42.2 KM marathon distance and doesn't require much more effort since the course is downhill.
M. A. from Jordan (4/13/2008) "Very much average" (about: 2008) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Dead Sea Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 I needed a toilet badly, there were only two at the 5KM mark, not equipped with water for cleaning. Water soaked sponges were at one place only. No refreshment at all during the course, except for water. Luggage was badly distributed - people were stepping over the bags.

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R. S. from Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia (4/17/2012) "Serious Safety and Organizational Issues" (about: 2012) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Dead Sea Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 Many aspects of the race were well done. Upon registering, I was contacted by a local travel agent who proved to be incredibly competent, honest and reliable as we planned our trip to to Jordan. The start of the ultra-marathon was well organized and efficient. There were beverages and toilets available, and the race started on time. Two lanes of traffic were dedicated to the 50-60 ultra marathon participants. For the first 30 k, the course significantly dropped in elevation providing amazing views and pleasant temperatures. Water was regularly distributed by very attentive volunteers and local police and traffic control was spotted everywhere around the course. However, after completion of the first half of the ultra, cars and busses periodically began to appear on the course. The drivers seemed genuinely confused by the runners, however this confusion did not cause the drivers to decrease their speed or give runners much clearance as they sped past. At the 28 k mark I was struck by the driver side mirror of a 4 door sedan as it split the difference between myself and my running partner at 35 km/h. The driver pulled off the road 100 meters ahead near some local police. I angrily explained the situation, however with the language barrier I didn't make much progress. At the 40k mark temperatures started to reach the high 80's and no more water was available on the course. More and more cars began to appear as well as we abandoned the course for the sidewalk. In the last few k it was difficult to clearly find the race path. We spotted the finish line 100 meters away however there were a number of cars, buses and large groups of teenagers clogging the street. When I finished with my partner, no one was at the finish line and my wife had to go find someone to give me a medal. I don't mind the indifference to our finish, but I guess the most confusing part of the whole experience is that this race bills itself as an Ultra-Marathon, yet seems to have no concern at all for the small group of participants actually doing that race. For example, at noon (about 5 hours after the start) the race officials boxed up all the gear bags of the participants who had not yet finished the race and sent them back to Amman. I get the impression that there are a number of very hardworking individuals (like Nelly from Yolla Tours) who are trying to make this race a success, but their efforts are overshadowed by a lack of organization and communication as a whole.
Z. R. from Jordan (3/17/2012) "Challenging race in a great destination" (about: 2011) 6-10 previous marathons \| 2 Dead Sea Marathons COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I ran the 10K and 42K of this marathon and now I am running the 21K. Organization is getting better and better and I believe this year it will be outstanding. The 10K and 21K are excellent training races for other marathons. The 42K and 50K are very challenging because of the downhill. The 50K is the same as 42K but starts with 10k of slight downward slope. Don't get fooled by the downhill - easy on the heart but hard on legs. The muscles will work very hard but if you do downhill training you will enjoy the run. Especially this year, you will most probably run in a spectacular view and an unusually green scenery from all the rain we got this winter. If you bike, then I suggest you bring your bike to the dead sea and enjoy a beautiful bike ride (rentals available but not for road bikes)
Z. R. from JOR (2/6/2011) "A great destination - a good race" (about: 2010) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Dead Sea Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 1 Jordan is a great tourist destination, so enjoy the Dead Sea, the Baptism site, Petra (1 of 7 Wonders), Wadi-Rumm (amazing views), Aqaba, Jarash and Amman (a beautiful city). The course is scenic and historically relevant. Enjoy a nice stay at one of the Dead Sea hotels (a bit expensive but worth it). The start is 42K away from finish but the finish is very close to hotels. The meeting area is in Amman, so staying at a Dead Sea hotel is good only if you have a way to make it to the start. I suggest you stay in a Amman hotel (pick a 5 starts hotel - closest to start), get to the start and then check-in to a Dead Sea hotel at the finish. You can give your stuff to the organizers and get it back at the finish. So pack light! Now the race! First, train well. You need to run at least 10K of continuous downhill at least twice because if you don't you will have sore muscles only after 20K and you won't be able to finish. You will go from +2,800 feet to -1,000 feet, so forget about a reverse split strategy. If you legs can take it, expect to run 10-15% faster with same heart rate for the first 20K, so plan on that. The last 20K is mostly flat with a few humpbacks. Check weather because in winter it could be snowing in Amman and you can swim at the Dead Sea. In 2010 the weather was really nice at the start and finish. Overall, it is a good race. I will try it again this year - 2011.
D. B. from England (10/25/2010) "Not a Race of a lifetime!" (about: 2010) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Dead Sea Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 Ran the ultra this year. Not being a racing snake, I ran 5:15. I ran almost the whole 50K alone with almost no spectators. A bit chaotic in the morning with a late disorganized start. Why do we pay $100 for a run with a very basic t-shirt that everyone running a 10K to a 50K runner gets? Also, the drink stations had no water by 40K. Don't do it without your own drinks if you plan to do over 4:30. Main road/motorway all the way. I'm not usually a grump about runs, but I have done numerous European runs at a fraction of the cost that were much more enjoyable.
M. A. from Jordan (4/10/2010) "Nice scenery; brutal, hilly course" (about: 2010) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Dead Sea Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 1 FANS: 1 I ran the 50K race. Beautiful countryside during the run; but if you can't do some proper hill training, this may not be the run for you. Organization was very poor. I will just list the four main low points: 1) They did not start on time (it was about 7 degrees Celsius at the start time, so we were getting cold standing around); start time was delayed by about 20 minutes; 2) there were no starting mats for timekeeping, so the "official" finish time records are too high by over 13.5 minutes (I have the statistics on my GPS-enabled HRM watch); 3) having only one pick-up station for bags was a very stupid plan - I almost got knocked over (legs are very wobbly after the pounding on the hill) by very rude children who did the fun run and were pushing people around. Organizers should have separated out the ultra and marathon runners by giving them a separate bag pick-up area; 4) I had to run through about 12 spectators who were standing, not beside, but actually ON the finish line! I didn't give a damn about the two I knocked over. If they got hurt, too bad - they are not supposed to be obstructing the runners! Race officials: this is absoluely inexcusable! Most local spectators just stare blankly as you smile, wave and say, "Hello" when you run past, so you may as well ignore them and save your energy/breath. The bright spot in this sea of madness were the water station volunteers - they were absolutely excellent, and were there with smiles and encouragement as well as ample water. Best to take your own gels and electrolyte powder (I kept two bottles in my waste belt with powder, which I filled later on in the race when I needed the isotonics). For this run, it may be worthwhile doing it once to see the sights and claim bragging rights, but I just don't think this one will be worth a repeat.
R. K. from Ramallah, Palestine (4/22/2009) "Loved it; I would totally do it again!" (about: 2009) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Dead Sea Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 3 This year it was very well organized. They have thought of everything: water stations every 3K, bananas at 11K, and Gatorade at 15K. There were not many spectators, which is cool with me, as I really like running alone. The finish line celebrations was great. I ran the 21K half-marathon. It was a flat, easy run; and the weather was cool and breezy when we started, but at the finish line there was a lot of direct sunlight. Don't forget your sunscreen!!! I recommend you staying in the resorts and not going back to Amman; the drive back in the bus was brutal. (My legs were killing me from sitting in the bus. All) in all, I loved the experience. This was my first half-marathon and it was definitely the right choice.
M. C. from Vietnam (10/19/2008) "Hard on the legs, but very satisfying...." (about: 2008) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Dead Sea Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 2 This was my first marathon and I found it truly a wonderful experience. The first 20KM are downhill and by that I mean like a crazy downhill gradient; this is quite nice, but the payback in the legs definitely kicks in during the second half. When the course flattens out, it's really hard work, as the legs have taken a beating on the hill.... My splits were 1:24 for the first half and 1:34 for the second half. It was great to break three hours, but I think this isn't a course you would come to in order to get a quick time.... Pretty well organized, except (as stated already) the chaos trying to get bags back at the end. Mona, the travel agent linked to the race, was cool and set up everything up for me really well as a non-Jordanian runner.... On the whole, a really good race. Stay in the Movenpick after the race; it's very near the finish line and has lovely swimming pools and excellent buffets.
M. M. from Maine, USA (4/27/2008) "Highly illogical, Captain... but do it once anyway" (about: 2008) 50+ previous marathons \| 1 Dead Sea Marathon COURSE: 5 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 If oxygen levels are more sparse (and at times are thusly worse) in high-altitude training or in mountain-top races, it stands to reason that there would be more oxygen (and at times the levels are thusly better) in lowest-altitude marathon on earth, right?... WRONG!... I needed a full extra hour over my typical marathon time (and almost 2 extra hours over my PR) to finish this bad boy. Not sure whether it was the heat (person who wrote it was 90º F at finish may've been conservative) or some intangible (salty air for miles along Dead Sea?), but this race was brutal. The first half is straight downhill, so enjoy your split. The second half is mostly flat with a few bounces. Good as a destination marathon (go see Petra, Wadi Rum, Jerash, biblical stuff). Yolia from Moonlight Travel (exclusive organizer/registrar for foreign racers) really has her act together. Very organized. Although criticisms from other 2008 participant about check-in and luggage return were valid (absolute pandemonium), I was relieved I hadn't used bag check for this one. And also, even if you bring your own toilet paper, which many people had the foresight to do, the few bathrooms were unusable after an hour. Bunches of runners resorted to trou-dropping hillside by start, among un-shepherded goats!... Anyway, in spite of Dead Sea Marathon's limitations, I likewise recommend it for one time, but there probably aren't many annual repeaters for the full marathon or ultra.
R. F. from Tel Aviv (4/23/2008) "Run this race only once in your lifetime." (about: 2008) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Dead Sea Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 1 This race is worth the effort to run once just to say you've run to the lowest point on earth. Downhill course, so, easy and fast if the weather is cool. It was 65 degrees at the start, 90 at the finish. Lots of direct sunshine; bring sunscreen and use it! Carry your own nourishment since only water is available along the course - plenty of H2O! Distances are not accredited. Packet/bib pick-up is a little disorganized and confusing. Nice pre-race pasta party. Little to no crowd support. More for local runners, ex-pats, and adventure seekers. Excellent finish/celebration area but carry money since food and drink at the finish must be purchased. I ran the 48.7 KM ultra-marathon; not much more than a full 42.2 KM marathon distance and doesn't require much more effort since the course is downhill.
M. A. from Jordan (4/13/2008) "Very much average" (about: 2008) 4-5 previous marathons \| 1 Dead Sea Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 2 FANS: 2 I needed a toilet badly, there were only two at the 5KM mark, not equipped with water for cleaning. Water soaked sponges were at one place only. No refreshment at all during the course, except for water. Luggage was badly distributed - people were stepping over the bags.

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Marathon Details - Dead Sea Marathon