Dead Sea Marathon

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.

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)

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.