The 2020 edition of Al Mouj Muscat Marathon, scheduled to take place over the weekend of 17th and 18th January 2020, will have an exciting appeal for returning and new international runners.
Registration officially opened for the event, which will feature the popular 5km Fun Run and the Kids’ Run on the first day, while the second day will see the main marathon event on the opening day along with the Half-marathon and 10km races. All distances are centred on the Al Mouj Muscat waterfront community and lifestyle destination in the heart of the city, providing a striking background for the range of athletic endeavours.
The event has seen a dramatic increase in participants from 135 at the first event in 2012 to over 8,000 across all events at this year’s eighth edition in January. Organisers are aiming for a further increase to over 12,000 in 2020. As part of opening registration, an ‘Unlock Muscat’ scheme has been introduced for prospective runners around the world to discover and enjoy a host of opportunities and exclusive discounts during their stay in the Sultanate. All registered runners will have access to exclusive offers at various local hot spots around Muscat, including gyms, physiotherapists, nutritionists, coffee shops, restaurants and much more.
More exciting this year is a number of top athletes from a variety of sport disciplines joining forces as inspirational ambassadors for the event, Oman’s top goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi, sportscar racing driver Ahmad Al Harthi, Olympic showjumper Sultan Al Touqi, sprinter Barakat Al Harthi, tennis player Fatma Al Nabhani, sailor and Olympic hopeful Musab Al Hadi. They, alongside global ambassador and world record holder Paula Radcliffe, will act as role models to add to the collaborative effort by the event organisers and supporters to engage more people to get active.
Commenting about her presence, Paula Radcliffe said, “I am really looking forward to coming back to Oman for the second time as ambassador for the Al Mouj Muscat Marathon. I had such an amazing time last year, visiting the beautiful country and meeting some brilliant people. I also look forward to work with the event local ambassadors to get more people experience running in Oman”.
The 42.195km marathon and subsidiary events are all certified by world-running organisation AIMS to conform to International Association of Athletic Federation (IAAF) standards and offer a great variety for runners.
Registration can be done through the official event website: https://muscatmarathon.om/