Ooredoo Marathon 2014

204 people have rated this event.
Overall Rating
6.5
10.0
Anonymous - 20.01.2014

“It's great to participate in Ooredoo Marathon 2014 - It gave me a pleasure to participate in Ooredoo Marathon 2014 and brought lot of excitement as it is first time participation for me. I wish to participate in Ooredoo 2015 for half marathon. Thanks for Ooredoo team for their selfless efforts and made this event so successful. Regards, Venkata.”

7.0
Joseph K. - 19.01.2014

“Definitely needs improvement! - I myself flew in from the UAE, baring all expenses costs: flight, accommodation, transportation... to see the inauguration of the Qatar Marathon, but was really disappointed in the organization and turn out of the event, specially for an inaugural event! Firstly and most importantly, no medal were given away to any finishers as wrongly advertised! Till now, I don't know of any 42km Marathon around the world without any medal giveaway. I'm just saying it would have been fine with me if it was stated differently and without promising and not delivering. Secondly the track distance was not as accurate. Online registration was good, not enough advertising has been done in Doha itself, many residents were not aware of this event! Pre-event comm was last minute, the evening before the race (SMS and email). Parking location could have been clearly marked when entering the lot, also location was wrong, as towards the end of the race, some cars were exiting on the track while there were runners on the road! No drop off bag was present, many people would have loved to keep their belonging somewhere during their run. There were a couple of photographers present, however no photos have been provided :( Timing & result services always on time, perfect job premier timing, keep it up! The course was nice, maybe a bit longer than the actual distance, towards the end was a bit boring near the airport, maybe around the Corniche would have been nicer, also for a full marathon, it would be nicer to have a big loop instead of repeating 2 halves. Event giveaways were a small food bag. Start/Finish should be clear or spectators and finishers specially during the finish. Water stations every 1km was awesome! Over all value for money, it is not as worth it, I spoke to many runners and many were from abroad and will not be coming back...”

5.0
Allam A. - 19.01.2014

“Oorredoo didn't fulfill their promises - Bad pre-event Communication. No Promised parking. No Promised Medal.”

5.0
Rosalia M. - 18.01.2014

“Poor organization - We were told we could park in the museum car park, which wasn't true. This meant we had to walk a long way to pick up the pack, then back to the car to drop it off. I was there at 05.30, but almost missed the start because of this. The parking organization was a disgrace! We thought the route was along the Corniche, but in fact the route was very boring! Why the change? What happened to the above mentioned medal?”

5.0
Anonymous - 17.01.2014

“Some aspects dissappointing - The individual that handed my event pack to me did confirm that collection of my T following the race was definitely possible. It was so disappointing to run a 42km race and then be told that all Ts were finished. To add further insult, no medals were available, this despite the event organizers stating that "ALL FINISHERS" would get a medal!!!”

4.0
Elvira V. - 16.01.2014

“OK, needs improvement - Agree with most other runner who rated this event: parking was not clear, especially not when arriving in the dark. No clear signs where to go! No bag drop off. Bib collection was OK, but would have been a problem with more participants. Better give runners an opportunity to collect it before race day, so less people will pick it up on the actual day. I was also directed on the website to buying a champion chip I don't need, as it was not clear (at least to me) that disposable chips would be provided. Course was dull and uninspiring. No possibilities for spectators along the route. Pity, pity! Not enough water on the longer distances, better to provide cups as most runners take only a few sips. Of course this needs more preparation, but still ... . No distance markers after the U-turn !! But worst of all: distance was not accurate - too long, at least on the longer distances (half and full marathon). Shame if you compare your times with races ran before. Price giving was a joke. Can not compare women/men of all ages, ridiculous. Categories are not specified enough, especially ''open'' but other too: 10 years makes a big difference! No medal ... disappointing, as it was advertised there would be medals for finishers. Nice keepsake. Shame the T-shirt had no date on it, not to mention the distance you took part in. I understand this is cheaper, but well ... Runners like these things. At finish things were messy too, I had to look for water, goodie bag etc. Not a warm welcome at the finish ... But overall glad it was organised in Doha - hope it will keep improving over the next years. ”

6.0
Anonymous - 16.01.2014

“Very disappointed that there was no medal - The cut off time at registration said 12.00h. when I was running the last leg the came up behind me and said road was opening at 11.30 and that I needed to get off the course. This upset me big time and I stood my ground to complete the race. It was my 13th marathon in total and never before had I encountered such a scenario where by a new cut off time was introduced mid race I was very disappointed when I crossed the line to discover there was no medal. Ooreedo should make contact with all participants and forward a medal retrospectively to all. I ran 2 no 10 k in the aspire zone organised by Doha college and Standard Chartered in Nov and Dec 2013 and both events had medals. Medals for 10k's in Doha and no medals for the inaugural marathon. Every marathon has a medal for finishers and this was a major disappointment. I was thrilled to compete in it and complete and to be able to download a cert as well, but getting no medal was a major disappointment ”

8.0
Ed A. - 16.01.2014

“Needs to be less biased to women - I was disappointed to learn that prizes were not awarded to women top finishers on the basis of first to third as is standard in races everywhere around the world. Women, including my wife who came 2nd in the ladies masters class, were lumped in with men for the second and third prizes. Only women who won their category were recognized. This is medieval thinking and does not promote womens sport. Come on guys lets move into the 21st century. On a secondary note the course was not good. It was featureless and without merit. Last years course along the Corniche was a much better solution. On the good size the event started on time, water stops were plentiful, there was good control of the road closures and medical assistance was obious and available. Good job”

6.0
Ole S. - 15.01.2014

“Carpark facilities - I'm a western expat and despite having been resident of Qatar for nearly 10 years I ought to know...... other Qatar expat residents might say :-)....... I however still had to shake my head and send out a few well chosen curses friday morning whilst trying to first get to the venue and find a place to park my car! Police har blocked off sections of the corniche, and other roads and the big parking lot at museum of islamic art was all closed off it appeared (despite being advised as being the place people should park their cars). I had left home i good time ( I thought) but after a few detours I eventually had to throw my car as best i could, quite some way from the venue. Having then picked up my race pack (handout of same by the way ,was quite professinal and very competent) I dashed back to the car with the excess of the pack and again dashed back to get ready for the run. You can then argue that that was my warm up :-), but hardly something you wish for prior to setting off for running a full marathon. My suggestion for next year is to properly organize the traffic/ parking issue, possibly move the start /stop place. Alternatively also change the route since it was a far from exciting route towards al Wakra and back ....twice! When all is said, I know this was a first time for Doha to organize a full blown marathon, and with +1200 paticipants distributed in 10k, 21k and 42k runs - I'm not suggesting it is by any means easy.....just think there is some room for improvents. Finally, please let note that all marshalls were unbelieveably nice and friendly during the run.”

10.0
Thoufeeque Aslam B. - 15.01.2014

“Perfect event for all the age groups. - I am one of the participants of '1km fun run'. I saw about it through OOREDOO website. From that moment i was excited and waiting for the event to happen. Also this is my first experience of Marathon, specially 'Ooredoo Marathon'. The only thing i hate is about the medals. In the site, premiermarathon.com, it was given that medals will be provided for all the finishers. I have finished the marathon only by running. I not even stopped running, while many other participants were tired during the race and started walking on the track. And i was very much disappointed that i even asked one of the organizer about the medals; he said we have not published about giving away free medals to everyone, but only to the winners. WHY??”

8.0
Bo C. - 15.01.2014

“Good with some few suggestions - Start time of 6:38am was a bit early. Also, the route was not that inspiring. I hoped that we would have run the other way (along the Corniche towards Sheraton). I ran the 10k.”

9.0
Anonymous - 15.01.2014

“Awesome & Energetic event to participate - Timing calculated via chip is pity good, but I lost my chip while running, so it will good to have at least the completion status based on BIB no. recorded manually. ”

5.0
Anonymous - 15.01.2014

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5.0
Anonymous - 15.01.2014

“Poor organization for runners above 4hrs - This comments are related to whom was out running for more than 4 hours: -Water station were without water after km 20 this is very disappointing for who has been running for 4+ hours under the sun and willing to finish the marathon distance. -After 4 hrs a lot of drivers were trying to bypass the route signage representing a danger for the runners. -No medals given to the marathon finishers after 4+ hrs -The finish stand collapse after 5hrs due to high wind representing a danger for all the runners and spectators around. -There was no food or refreshment available for the runners reaching the finish line after 4+ hours. -The course was very boring since it was 2 laps around a desolated part of the city that is actually under construction, while there is available many intersting places like corniche, kata, the pearl, etc”

4.0
James M. - 15.01.2014

“No Medal!!!!!! - No medal!!!!!!”

10.0
Megan J. - 15.01.2014

“Lovely,organized run! - It was wonderful, friendly and amazingly well organized. I guess if I were going to make a suggestion I think the course was a little dull (although very clearly marked and free of obstructions”

4.0
Anonymous - 14.01.2014

“Sexist. Boring course. Badly organised. - Outdated, sexist orgnisers, giving 2x more prizes to men than women - even in the childrens categories. Why not equal? Why not top 3 places for men and women like every other similar race? And making the first women in each category stand on 3rd place podium is humiliating. No medals. No one Supporting along the route or greeting finishers with water at the end. The route is extremely dull, and even the (few) marshals did not bother smiling, clapping or in Amy way encouraging the runners. The pre race communicatiOn was non-existent and the start times were advertised as bothe 6.30am and 7am. ”

7.0
Georg K. - 14.01.2014

“Lonley runner on the the Autobahn - Poor: No food to recharge the batteries during the run (part. important for the marathon guys) Why did we run the lonley motorway all the way out of town and not the Corniche up to Kanatra, Pearlisland and business district area. Then maybe there could has been some visitor cheering to the Marathonis... I was disappointed about the course. The event by itself was great!”

9.0
Danial A. - 14.01.2014

“Enjoyable but a little anti-climatic - Great run. Although was a little anti-climatic because the time chip fell off. I think what future events could do is find a more secure way to have the time chip fastened. Other then that, enjoyed it very much.”

Comment from Premier Online - 16.01.2014
“The timing chip was provided with a plastic tie strap which when fixed in accordance with the instructions printed on the front of your race pack envelope (in Arabic, English and pictures) is completely secure. So secure in fact it has to be cut off at the finish line. Sorry yours wasn't fixed on properly but we hope you manage it the next time.”

8.0
Arsalan Y. - 14.01.2014

“A good experience - It was my first running experience for 10 km, and I found it very good, refreshing, and a good exercise”

5.0
Arsalan Y. - 14.01.2014

“Better than last year, but much room to improve - I think this race has much room for improvement: - Pre-race communication was appalling. Sending emails the day and night before the race isn't enough. Ooredoo should have been sending information and updates at least a week in advance. Also: there was no point-person to answer questions along the way - most emails to the address provided received no response, and when a response was received, it was incoherent. - Parking was unclear, and it is impossible for supporters arriving after the race's start to park. You should say as much in pre-race messages so that people can make arrangements for either runner or supporter to take taxis. - You need to provide toilet paper (not just boxes of tissues) in the porto-loos and much more than was available. - There should be a water station at the start of the race, particularly if you're going to start a bit late, as you did. - The race started late, which is off-putting for runners, particularly as it was unseasonably cold. Also, we could not understand anything the man with the megaphone was saying. - The route was incredibly dull. I cannot imagine how the marathoners ran 42km of highway with absolutely nothing to look at. It was also designed such that there was no possibility of having support from friends/family during the race. - The water stations were well positioned however again, the bottles of water were too large (most runners just take a few sips), so there was a great deal of waste. Also, it would have been helpful to have the people handing out the water to loosen the lids. - The distance markers on the water tents were not big enough, and **they needed to be marked on the return sides of the tents as well!!** I ran the second half of the half-marathon needing to turn around after I passed each water-station to calculate the distance I had left to run. That's crazy. - There was no "reception" upon arrival. I came through the Finish Line after having run 21km with no form of support except for my family. Other races I have run have had many more volunteers all along the route to yell support and at the end, have been there not only to say, "Well done," but **key point**: PUT A BOTTLE OF WATER IN MY HAND**. Again, NO WATER when I arrived, and the "goodie bag" had an unappealing sandwich and fruit juice in it, neither of which would be good on the stomach after a long-distance run. It's not that complicated: Have a station at the Finish Line where participants are handed a medal (no medals in this race - crazy!!!!!), a t-shirt, and a bag with a bottle of water, a banana, and something like a granola bar. Don't make runners have to look around to find water or their very much deserved "prizes" for having participated. - Finally, the prize-giving "ceremony" was embarrassing and ridiculous. Firstly, the man doing the talking was impossible to understand and was obviously an amateur at public-speaking. Secondly: the order of prizes was all over the place, one could not follow what he was saying or doing. Third: How on earth can you justify giving prizes for the 1st and 2nd Male and only the 1st Female in each category. The world over, it is 1st, 2nd and 3rd (or Gold, Silver, Bronze) for each gender in each category. It is inconceivable to me that the women who achieved amazing times and placed 2nd and 3rd in their categories received absolutely zero recognition for their efforts. - Categories: "Open" is too broad a category. 18-44 seems like an odd choice. It should be 18-35 and then 35-45 and so on or something like that. At any rate, it seems to me that it should be broken down a bit more. In short, Ooredoo is a large company and the face of Qatar telecoms. I think the way that this race was organised, given that you had a first go at doing it last year and should have learned from your mistakes, makes the company look amateurish. If you're going to do it and compete with the UAE, then do it right. Bring people in - like Dave Thompson from Doha College - who know how to do things properly to either do it for you or advise you on how to do it. Don't just assign this to some random Ooredoo marketing administrator. At worst, people could be seriously ill or even die. At best risk, people are demoralised by the race and how it was conducted. It seems to me that Ooredoo would want more from its own efforts. For me, the Doha College 10km, which I have participated since its inception in 2011, is the model everyone should follow, as it has been brilliantly organised from start to finish each year. Small, but essential, details make all the difference. I will participate again because I enjoy the challenge of a half-marathon, and this is the only one offered in Qatar. However, although I aspire to run a marathon one day, given the way you have organised this race over the past two years, there is no way I would consider doing the Ooredoo marathon. On another note to Premier Marathons: I was mis-led into purchasing a Champion Chip, thinking I had registered for the race in October. Thankfully I realised the day before the deadline (!) that despite having details of the Ooredoo race on my event list, I hadn't actually registered. I did not have enough time to dispute the Chip purchase/didn't want to risk my registration, but I now have a chip I never wanted to buy.”

Comment from Premier Online - 16.01.2014
“The event page has 2 buttons; 'Registration & Store' & 'Store Only'. When you click the 'Store Only' button an on-screen message asked if you're 'sure you want to go to the store only and not register?' This requires you to click again your choice. You then selected to purchase a clearly labelled item and completed payment received on screen and email confirmations about your 'purchase' (not 'registration'). In all fairness, this cannot be construed as being 'misled', sorry you felt you were.”

6.0
Daniel H. - 14.01.2014

“Encouraging premiere with room for improvements - First of all: Thank you for your efforts and thank you to all the volunteers who were helping! To organize such a big event is really a challenge. Please find hereinafter some critical comments which should help to improve such a great event! I think I don't have to talk about the medal-problem again - that's indeed quite poor. Also the internet communication about the event was quite poor (e.g. until the start the wrong route was described). But there are two basic things that I have especially on my mind: 1) The catering along the route and at the finish was really insufficient for a marathon: Basic needs are fruits like banana or oranges and isotonic drinks and coke/pepsi (especially for the last kilometers). At the finish alcohol free beer like Erdinger are also a standard at most marathons worldwide. 2) The route itself was quite poor. I expected a route along the corniche and through the westbay - and got a run on a highway through the desert. Doha has lots of fantastic corners and views - and a marathon should be both for runners and supporter a special experience. Normally I used to run a marathon, at the Ooredoo Marathon I took part at the half marathon. And to be honest I am very happy about it that I don't have to run the same poor route twice. So hopefully you will regard some of the improvement proposals - and I am sure the run will attract much more participants and visitors. I wish you all the best and hopefully we will see us next year at the Ooredoo Marathon 2015! Daniel Hecker”

Comment from Premier Online - 16.01.2014
“Please note the event was organised by Ooredoo, not Premier Online. We are simply the online registration provider and Premier Timing (our sister company) provided the timing services. Event Organizers are reminded that their event ratings are available to view here.”

6.0
John J. - 14.01.2014

“Good event for Qatar, could be great very easily - 1. The route was as uninspiring as it could have been, for runners and for spectator. Spectator after 1km not possible as a 3 lane open road was alongside the route. 2. Water stations empty on return leg 3. Start / finish around immediate sharp corner. And get rid of the cameraman who placed himself right in the middle of the route 50m from start and did not move. 4. Marathon / half / 10km starts should consider staggering, have separate signed line up areas behind start. 5. Km markers on water stations on way out, but none on return leg when a lot of runners around me without gps needed them.”

8.0
Zaahir H. - 14.01.2014

“A Good event - Organisation at the start of the day was good, although a bit crazy just before the start. The commentator could have been more exciting and should have tried to motivate the runners more. Race T-shirt was so much better than last year and race pack was easy to get. Food bag at the end of the race was really good and tasty. Very welcomed after the run. A medal would have been even better and I something that every runner likes. The course was good, but there wasn't much to see in the line of scenery. Last year's course offered runners a much better view.... Overall, an enjoyable and well-organized day. will definitely participate again!”

9.0
Frieda W. - 14.01.2014

“Excellent event! Thanks! - Great event! The only problems were getting into the site and parking - that was stressful as the police presence was in the wrong place. We should have been told our race number in advance to avoid the crowd in front of the registrant list signboard.”

7.0
Jose Barnard P. - 14.01.2014

“Great experience and enjoyable! - Thanks to all the organizer, marshals, water station personnel, medics, and police protection. Well organized. I will surely join again.. ”

7.0
Anonymous - 14.01.2014

“Provide vegetarian refreshments and better signage - The atmosphere was very lively ...liked the timing apparatus. Please provide Vegetarian options to people participating in the event. Please also provide better signage...as to where to take a turn when required...it might turn fatal for many if not done!!!”

5.0
Afiya N. - 13.01.2014

“Extremely disappointed - We are very disappointed and trying to contact relevant authorities. The Ooredoo staff were unable to locate my daughter's listed registration , and they gave her a random one at the last minute, for her 1km Fun Run. Hence, she wasn't timed on her name, nor did she receive a certificate for participation. We are most upset. We had also paid 150Riyals for the ChampionChip, which are wasted since we were given a white rental chip instead. We demand a refund and a certificate for our daughter, and someone should contact us. I'm not going to let this incident go by lightly. Kindly pursue the matter. Finishers were promised medals, which didn't happen either. False advertising. And the Fun Run was poorly managed with too many tall and older kids, overtaking younger ones who fell and got hurt.”

7.0
Anonymous - 13.01.2014

“First marathon in Doha - This race was well run for the most part. The location at MIA was great and the start/finish area was very well done. My only complaints are that the course was measured 1/2km too long and some of the water stops ran out of water. Other than that I think the race directors and support teams did a good job.”

3.0
Anonymous - 13.01.2014

“Poor effort ooredoo - Chaotic, kids fun run only 500m not 1km , kids trampled at start no one knew where start, No medals - take a look at Dubai Doha once again you fail in comparison”

8.0
Rey T. - 13.01.2014

“Well organize, water & toilet are available - To include 5km run”

7.0
Anonymous - 13.01.2014

“Need to get better - Simply unacceptable that the support stations run out of water. I ran for 8km without getting any single water bottle Also why was the main parking closed? And did that lead to the delay of the course?”

5.0
Robert G. - 13.01.2014

“Nice event, bad course, and no medal! - Thanks to the organizers! We had fun! BUT... in the event page was noted, that a Finisher Medal will be provided, and for many people a motivation to register and pay! It is disappointing that no medal was given to the finishers. Best Regards, Rob”

7.0
Alawi A. - 13.01.2014

“Poor communication of reg no. & delivery of pack - Early communication of reg no n receipt of race pack before the race is important. I suggest event organiser to provide participation medals.”

9.0
Anonymous - 13.01.2014

“Glad to participate in the event - Really glad to participate in the Ooredoo Marathon and to run for the common cause fund raising.”

4.0
Kea N. - 13.01.2014

“Huge Opportunity Missed - The inaugural event in 2013 was inadequately organised but not so heavily flawed. Main issues at the time were the discrimination against women in that no distinction was made in placements between male and female. The course was also a loop albeit on the attractive Doha Corniche. An opportunity was also missed to organise the race on the then newly introduced Qatar National Sports day in February which would have created more focus on the race as well as alleviate traffic problems, etc. It was with great anticipation that all marathon runners waited for 2014 and the long-awaited inaugural full marathon. Great disappointment however from the start: this time not just inadequately organised but fundamentally flawed. It was again obvious that the organisers are not runners themselves or even consulted other marathon organisers or even the local running clubs. The route was not made available until late and then the most uninspiring route was selected and in a double loop to top it all. On the day, participants could not get to the advertised MIA parking. It took us more than 30 minutes just to find parking, adding to the anxiety and mood / negative energy. Then the Master of Ceremonies could not say anything more on the PA system but “please ensure you are on time”. Not a word to assist the actual organisation, ask the traffic police to intervene, where to meet and collect, etc. Of course there were not adequate race shirt supply with the vast majority of people not able to run in the event shirt. The course took us past the noisiest, dustiest and arguably the most polluted fallout area past the airport with no intent to even showcase what Doha has to offer. There were adequate water stations but inadequate distance indicators. The worst of all was probably the fact that the organisers “forgot” to offer medals for the finishers: the most basic of basics – especially if you are inaugurating an event and are promoting the sport. Personally know about hordes of first time 10 km runners that were hugely disappointed in not getting recognition for their effort – not to mention the marathon runners that had to slog through all of this. There were so little regard for the marathon runners that even those that completed the 42 in less than four hours missed out on the goody bags and price giving. Money on the other hand was spent on completely unimportant matters such as expensive paper bags custom made for the day but with nothing in them. Clear evidence that an ill prepared PR company or department organised the day as an event and not as a marathon. Would not recommend this to any travelling runner: it is not worthwhile and you are certainly not going to see what Qatar has to offer. Huge opportunity missed. Would love to be positive and say that I have confidence that the organisers would get it right next year and that there were learning from 2013 to 2014 but I can’t; they are on the wrong track – excuse the pun.”

7.0
Hala Q. - 13.01.2014

“No medals, bad breakfast - Everything was fine except: - we only got T-shirts as giveaways - no medals and runners like medals - breakfast sandwich wasn't good "chicken wasn't cooked well, bread type isn't suitable" - the start was delayed for a few minutes with no reason”

6.0
Jessica W. - 13.01.2014

“Below Average - Overall, I enjoyed the Ooredoo Half Marathon Race. This was my first international race outside of the US and I was very excited to participate in it. There were a few issues with the race. First, the website published that the race start time was 7am. The night before the race, I received an e-mail that the start time was in fact 630am. Not a big deal for me, because I was already planning on showing up at 530am for bib pick-up. The course itself was not what I expected. I failed to review the course map prior and assumed that we would be running through the city and not outside of the city on a highway. It would have been far more enjoyable had it been in the city much like what other major cities do. However, the course itself was flat and I did enjoy that. Once I hit the turnaround point, I started to drink water at the water points. To my dismay, THREE of the water points on the last 11km were completely out of water. Fortunately, my friends that were running a ways behind me did not have that issue. I presume I was just unlucky and hit the water points right when they went out. There also weren't any food or Gatorade at the water points. At every marathon race I've participated in before, they always had some type of good or Gatorade available for the runners on the course. When the race was complete, I noticed on my GPS watch at the end of the race that the distance was slightly longer than advertised. The distance that was calculated on my GPS as well as others in my group was 21.47km, almost a half km longer. After the race I grabbed a goodie back and the refreshments were very good. I really enjoyed those. The t-shirt however was very disappointing. I would have preferred that the t-shit said something about the Ooredoo 10K, Half and Full Marathon. Instead the t-shirt looked like it was an Ooredoo employee shirt. Normally race shirts advertise the name of the race, the city of the race and date of the race. There was also no finisher medal. All the races I've been to in the past have a finisher medal. Overall, I'm glad I participated in the race but I believe this race could be greatly improved given the cost.”

10.0
Maxime V. - 13.01.2014

“Great but there's always place for improvment - 10km distance was not accurate (10.2km in reality). ”

7.0
Anonymous - 13.01.2014

“GOOD - TO BE AN ICONIC EVENT, COURSE SHOULD BE COUNICHE. IT MAKES EVERBODY BE ATTRACTIVE TO PARTICIPATE.”

6.0
Aya H. - 13.01.2014

“Very disappointed , they cheated all finishers ! - They cheated us since they mentioned that there are medals for all finishers , but no finishers were rewarded with medals. When we asked the organizers about this issue they impolitely said we never mentioned that on website. I feel really disappointed because i expected them to be friendly and get more rewards from them. thank you ,,,”

10.0
Anonymous - 13.01.2014

“Good event - A bag drop area at the event would be very helpful.”

6.0
Anonymous - 13.01.2014

“Enjoyed at the beginning but not at the end! - Hi, I am sorry to say that I won't highly recommend this event to anyone except considering on health that people should go for a run and experience a good change from it. But, just a meal is not worthy a reward at the end of the event. If you have mentioned about MEDALS for FINISHERS, it really means those who finished the marathon should be able to get a medal and a meal together. Before entering the MIA, all roads were blocked and no signage were given on how to enter the museum. When my dad had to come back to pick me up, the routes were completed changed as in from where we came in the morning were all blocked and again no signage were placed. Ooredoo seems to the main top company for communications in Qatar and yet their event's organisation is a bit of a flaw. I hope I hear in the next year that Medals shall surely be rewarded to everyone who would participate in this event. Thank you ”

3.0
A. Hykal Y. - 13.01.2014

“Poor event coordination and poor race management - This was my 3rd Run in Qatar and was my 1st Half Marathon in Qatar. The main reason I participated in this event is because this is the “one and only” Half and Full Marathon in Qatar. The problem occurred in various stage mainly because of poor in organizing and managing the event and probably contributed by lack of credibility and experience of Event Manager/Coordinator. I registered for my 4 years old son in 1km Fun Run on 05/12/2013 and was accepted and assigned with Bib No. 9013 but two weeks ago was rejected and fees refunded due to age issue. Originally age range was 0-17 but last minute it was changed to 3 categories from 5 to 8 years, 9 to 12 years & 13 to 17 years. In Gulf Times newspaper notification was published that access road to race venue will be closed from 6.30am. We arrived at last traffic light about 3km to race venue at 5.55am but the traffic already closed, we have to beg to police to let us drive in to the race venue. No signage/direction installed on the road/street to car park of race venue. The one and only email from Ooredoo (Final Instructions) to participants only received by me on 09/01/2014 at 5.41pm which is less than 12 hours before the registration at race venue. They ran out of T-Shirt during registration time and asked me to collect after the race. During the race for my Half Marathon they ran out of bottle water for Water Stations of KM15, KM16 & KM16, this is killing me. I took my energy gel at KM14+ so I can consume water at KM15 but I have to wait for more than 3KM to get the water. I saw some runners picking used water bottles on the street and heard some runners shouting at the race marshals/volunteers to replenish the water. Runners who did for 10KM Run also experience this water shortage. The course is so boring. Less than 2KM on the sea side view (cornice) the rest of it empty land and old + new airport area. Very few supporters along the street to cheer you. Volunteers at Water Stations not cheering at runners. When I crossed the finish line I realized that no medal for finisher. I stayed there for a while to watch the prize giving ceremony where I noticed the winners also not received their medals. For 1KM Fun Run – the street for the run is too narrow. The participants only received one T-shirt + one sandwich + one bottle of juice. My kids upset as they did not receive their Finishing Medal.”

8.0
Tristan B. - 13.01.2014

“Spoilt with no medal - Event was really good. Only things to improve was lack of water at some stations - this should not happen as it hampers peoples race. I didn't get a message that race is starting early also. No medal is a big error - this is not acceptable to any runner as they want a memory / take home of their achievement!”

6.0
Asma D. - 13.01.2014

“Dishonest advertising , boring route - Collection of packs was well organised, though had it been the day before it would have been better. there should have been a place for baggage drop off it should have been specified which roads would be closed and a clear direction into the car parking at the MIA should have been given to participants the start of the race should have been staggered, as it was overly crowded. Due to the layout of the route there was no chance for spectators or crowds to gather, doha has a beautiful scenery this should have been unlisted to the maximum the finish was very very poor, no crowds. the healthy meal provided was a shambles, i have just run a half marathon and burnt over 1500 calories, i expect more than a cold chicken sandwich and an apple to replenish my self properly not receiving medals was a farce. people put weeks and months of preparation into these events in training, and the least we would expect is a medal - it was even stated that ALL finishers would receive a medal. this is dishonest advertising . and terrible sportsmanship- when questioning the origination team available on the day i received rude and dismissive responses. im disappointed to say i expected more from ooredoo and doha. - i would have rated the giveaways and medals in the negative if i could. its a joke that i must submit a number for such poor effort from the event organizers lastly the t-shirts aught to have better design effort. you had a fantastic design for the posters, could that not be used on tshirts too? there was no mention of the event or the date! there is massive room for improvement , and i expect something to be done about the medals asap. we paid our money expecting a certain service and were largely let down. credit be given the timing and receiving of our results was perfect and on time, and premier online provided a great service too. ”

10.0
Ebenjamin L. - 13.01.2014

“It's great to have you in my run!!! - Dissapointed... They say that they have a medal for finisher... Many of us are dissapointed... Thank you.”

8.0
Don E. - 13.01.2014

“Very good event - Better than last year, keep it going.”

5.0
Anonymous - 13.01.2014

“I enjoyed the run as a personal achievement - The race its self was good. But value for money it was not good. There was no vegetarian options for "breakfast". There was no medal at the end of the race. The parking for the event was not well marked until you were literally at the MIA. It has the potential to be a great event. ”

7.0
Anonymous - 13.01.2014

“Poor organisation - Some feedback: - no garbage bins in the registration area - to displace the envelopes/bags - not an motivational atmosphere before the start - did not start on time (12 minutes later) - the curse - boring - nothing to see/ to enjoy. No crowd to cheer... ”

6.0
Yelena M. - 13.01.2014

“Take it seriously! - The route and the organization of the event showed us that this marathon was not taken seriously, and was not a part of Doha's supposedly "sports" culture. Going outside town on a highway was the most boring run I have ever done. Also I would encourage organizers to provide energy drinks along with water.”

7.0
Andrea P. - 13.01.2014

“Great Event - Congratulations on organising a very well run event. well organised, great fun, lots of participants, good atmosphere. Excellent. Please have more.”

8.0
Nicholas T. - 13.01.2014

“Set my best 10K time! - The start time was a bit early for an event in January. The temperature at the start was 13C, so it was cold waiting for the start. The event could have been run a couple of hours later with no negative impact on the runners.”

5.0
Brent F. - 13.01.2014

“Overall a good race, better than I expected. - Overall a good race but it seems a bit disorganised. I had a problem paying once I registered which took a few days to sort out. Pickingup the race package was OK but normally this is done a day or two before the race and I had to pick up the shirt at a different time from the rest of the package. The shirts were very small. I normally take a L or XL and the XL I got was way too small. I never received a medal at the end. The start was confusing. Having lots of water stations was good. ”

5.0
Chris A. - 13.01.2014

“Terrible Experience. Period. - Compared to other recent events in the region, this one was an absolute joke. Completely disorganized, it felt as though this event was put on by a group, presumably Ooredoo, that had never run an organized race before and just assumed we, as runners, don't care about things such as the event space, the course, the support stations, etc. As a Qatari resident I was appalled to see that the course for the 10k, Half and Full marathon didn't highlight any of the features that make Doha a burgeoning, modern city. Instead we ran on a deserted highway with nothing but desert, barbed wire fences and empty warehouses as our surroundings. There were full marathon runners abandoning the race out of sheer disdain for such a lackluster and clearly haphazardly designed course. While on the course, I, along with many others, were pushed towards the turnaround point, SOME PEOPLE FELL DOWN when the support staff saw that we weren't turning right away. The signage was adequate, I was just taking a broad turn. How is this acceptable, I ask. Lastly, THEY RAN OUT OF WATER at KMs 12-15. Seriously. Ran out. Of water. Either Ooredoo needs to hire new planners or they need to just chuck this "event" into the bin...”

7.0
Anonymous - 13.01.2014

“I did the 10km run - I did not like the fact that the finishers of the race did not recieve a medial for finishing. This is my only negative point. positive points: the 1km water station was nice. The organization was good. The healthy meal was good. ”

6.0
Anonymous - 13.01.2014

“Nice run with great volunteers in good climate. - More and better email updates and reminders in weeks before event. Don't communicate that medals and certificates will be given to all participants if this isn't done.”

6.0
Jacob M. - 13.01.2014

“Could have done much better at zero cost - Online booking was quick and easy. Issuing of tags and T-Shirts should have been done the previous day itself so that people come focused for the race. Details on the start of the event were received just one day before the event. Several of my friends missed the email and came to know about it only the night before the race. Support stations provided only drinking water. Could have easily provided energy drinks at zero cost if Ooredoo had allowed other sponsors for the event . No wet sponges. Most of the volunteers did not know what to do other than the specific job they were assigned. No central information counter. No baggage drop off point. A very simple system could have been arranged. Most of the runners came in sweatshirts or track suits because of the cold weather and then just prior to the race, did not have a place to drop off their bags or sweatshirts. Several people had to make a last minute dash to their cars or just remove it, tie it around their waist and run. While the event announcement said that medals would be given to all finishers, no medals were given. Event was not lively. Not much publicity. Most people in Qatar even did not know about it. No spectators on the roads to cheer the participants. At vantage points, spectator points should have been provided. Spectator participation should have been encouraged. Even if half of Ooredoo's staff had turned up, it would have made the event more lively. Timing and results service was top notch. As soon as the race got over, preliminary results came in by email. Certificates with official timings came in on the same day. Perfecto. As an improvement, detailed timing statistics could have been made available to all participants instead of to only those who bought their own personal chips. Ooredoo being a large global enterprise should start looking at the bigger picture and organize this event into a major event on Qatar's annual sporting calendar. After all, this is the only marathon event in Qatar. The way it was organized and scaled made it look like a club event.”

9.0
Prakash M. - 13.01.2014

“Great event..nice to see many aspiring participant - Would appreciate if lockers are provided for outside participants..”

6.0
Anonymous - 13.01.2014

“Few mistakes - The start time for 1 km race was changed and corrected by txt msg. Also my son was poushed and injuered his knee at the start point.”

6.0
Anonymous - 13.01.2014

“Few mistakes - Start time was corrected by txt msg the night before the event. my son was pushed and injuered his knee at the start point.”

7.0
Anonymous - 13.01.2014

“Slightly disappointed - Disappointed that there was no finisher medal for any of the races. Also, I had to ask to get a T-shirt, they didn't automatically give them with the timing chip.”

7.0
Riana R. - 13.01.2014

“Ok for a first time race, but more work needed - I'm a seasoned runner with over 50 ultra marathons and did not appreciate the mail before the race to offer me a 'down grade'! Why was this not offered to all runners??? For a pre-entry race that cost such a lot of money, the fact the the water tables ran out of water at a crucial time in the race, was unacceptable. Water tables should have something else in the line of coke/pepsi/bananas/chocolates to sustain runners over that distance - water alone is not enough. The kilometre markers on the water table tents were great, but were incorrect towards the turning point on the half marathon mark and did not indicate the distance on the return side. That would be a great help. I finished the race within the five hour cut-off time, but had to run/walk around to find someone to remove my chip from my shoe - not good at all.”

8.0
Bruce C. - 13.01.2014

“Boring route, lack of atmosphere, fun competitors - Event info sent out only 24hrs before event and the start time was different to earlier adverts (6.30 from 7). Registration was smooth and well-organised. Toilet facilities sufficient. Temperature for event was perfect Doha has so many wonderful landmarks and we managed to miss them all! The route was not spectator friendly - I saw 3! OOREDOO MASCOTS WERE BRILLIANT! Kids 1km race was dangerous - 16 year olds with 5 year olds. NO AND NO! My video shows at least two little ones pushed over and stood on by the mass of runners. The 1km race was advertised as a fun run with fancy dress, why oh why make it competitive for big prizes? Give out prizes for best fancy dress, not for pushing over little kids in a desperate scramble to win. If you want to do that add a 3km for 12 - 17 and separate it from the FUN RUN for 5 - 11 in which prizes are given out by SPOT PRIZE MARSHALLS looking for fun costumes and cute smiles. There should be no LOSERS at such a young age. With so many children, some games and stalls set around the park would have created a fun atmosphere - fitness related if possible. Child-sized shirts would have been nice. The XS adult still looked like a dress on my 5 year old boy. Timing and online record of event were very efficient. OVERALL. Nearly there, just a few tweaks here and there for next year. See you there!”

4.0
Anonymous - 13.01.2014

“Very badly organized - I looks like they organized a social event not a marathon. The organization did not take care at all about runners. The last 8km of half marathon wellcomed the runners with no water at all, plus the fact that the distances in the circuit were not accurate.”

7.0
Connie H. - 13.01.2014

“First impression's good, could get better next ;> - 1. Picture says a thousand words and leaves a lasting memorabilia to the participants! So please have a photographer capture our finish run. 2. T-shirt measurement is not defined during registration. 3. Race track should have garbage shoot available at close distances, everyone’s just throwing bottles on the road. I almost tripped! 4. Food is abundant! Thanks! 5. Water is overflowing! Thanks! 6. It’ll be good to get SMS / Text messages aside from email. For the pre-event communications, etc.”

5.0
Anonymous - 13.01.2014

“Poor - On your website, it states medals for all finishers. This is my daughter and I 5th marathon and the first time we have not received a medal. You run 42km and at the end of it, you expect to receive a medal for your hard run. To be told there was no medals was so disappointing!! If you advertise a medal, you really should consider making medals and mailing it out to the finishers!!”

6.0
Michael W. - 13.01.2014

“Running on the Highway - The course was flat and therefore easy for a first time full Marathoner, like me. The support stations were excellent in numbers. You could grab a bottle of water every km. The event date was chosen to be in the best season of the year for running and we were lucky with the weather. The major downside of the event was the route of the course. For the major part, we had to run over the highway, which besides being very very boring, with almost no spectators, was for the second part very lonely with about 100 finishers spread over a period of almost 2 hours. Last years run along the Corniche was much more pleasant. The event was very well organised. A large improvement to 2013 was the number of toilets, not only at the strt/finish, but also along the course. 2 thumbs up!”

5.0
Mark R. - 13.01.2014

“Supporters - This year's route did not have space for supporters. Also, the scrambling and pushing and shoving to find our number on only one board was not pleasant.”

8.0
Tony A. - 13.01.2014

“Better than last year - Much improved on last year (I did the half then) Teeshirt was much better, however if you say there are going to be medals then make sure there are... I'm sure that any other country you would get in trouble for that for misrepresentation .... Also I was gutted, I came 3rd in may age group for the marathon (masters) and you only gave prizes for first and second..... We pay enough money for this event for you to have plenty of prizes...... very expensive.. ”

6.0
Ameera M. - 13.01.2014

“I wanted a Medal - It was my first time completing a 10k, i wanted to get a medal. Was very disappointed. the only gift we got was a t-shirt and a bad tasting sandwich. ”

9.0
Lin H. - 13.01.2014

“Great experience in doha - Running for health, running for love, running for life, running for world peace , running for family, running for friendship, running for ooredoo! Running for Qatar!”

7.0
Anonymous - 13.01.2014

“Well organised but hosts need to be the last to go - Well organised for a charity event but we needed to know which charities we are supporting and it would have been nice to have the charity representative to make a statement before and after the race. There needs to be a baggage counter to keep belongings. The race organizers closed the event while there were still people on the course running! I believe the hosts should be the last ones to leave. The registration and course itself was very well organised and I will definitely do it again next year to improve my position!”

7.0
Anonymous - 13.01.2014

“Participants are not so many. - I recommend provide run number at least 1 day before. ”

6.0
Abdul Aziz J. - 13.01.2014

“Ok race. overpriced though. - Poor advertising. No expo event. No supporters stations on the side.”

5.0
Anonymous - 13.01.2014

“Ooredoo Marathon is good event - * Start time is not organized. Dlayed from scheduled time. * If we can get paper certificate, that give us sence of accomplishment.”

8.0
Anonymous - 13.01.2014

“Great potential but a few key problems mar event - There were a lot of good things about this race--great to have one with all of these distances in Doha so thanks for bringing it here. But it fairly obviously wasn't organized by people who really understand running, which is quite an issue for a race of this length. The number one biggest problem in my opinion was the lack of fuel on the course for the half and full marathon. There needs to be some sort of a carbohydrate source for those runners--fruit, gel, gatorade, from a minimum of 32-33ks and maybe even earlier. Those poor marathoners who didn't have fuel were dying. Its' just unheard of not to supply fuel in a race of serious distance. Also, many of them reported running out of water, which is down right dangerous. additionally, how can you not have a medal?? Also unheard of. You had branded water and branded throw away bags but no medal. The lunch bag (good sandwich by the way!) could have been eco-friendly if made of canvas so people could keep and re-use it--gets the Oreedo name out there more and nice for the participants. The course itself was mind-numbing. That's not a course that will get anyone to make Doha a destination. Look at the Dubai marathon and all of the places it goes by. People will go to Dubai to do that and not run here--look at how few people did the full marathon--I can't imagine turning around and going back out there again--hardly any runners and nothing to look at. The aid station volunteers need to be told to cheer for the runners--nice you hired a company but my god they looked so bored--not exactly inspiring when you're out there hurting with nothing to look at but bored people. Water stations--lots of them--great! but very hard when running to take the caps off of bottles--would be good for them to loosen the caps. Would be good to have more clocks on the course with times and more of the kilometers marked--helps you know how much more you have to go. The 1km race was dangerous--kids falling and getting run over--should separate the little kids from grown ups--Overall you have a lot of potential in this race but need to do a few things better to really be great.”

8.0
Anonymous - 13.01.2014

“Excellent event - Excellent event except for giving a medal for all the marathon finished they wright to us in the email that there will be medal but there are nothing. disablement ”

9.0
Maggie B. - 13.01.2014

“Thoroughly enjoyed the event. - Had a great time. Volunteers/water stations all good. Start and end felt a bit random. No medal awarded for participation??? It would have been great to have a place to leave a small bag. I will definitely register again next year. Thanks, Maggie”

5.0
Mark W. - 13.01.2014

“Boring course, terribly supported, disappointed! - The course was an up and back along a motorway with no sights to see, no atmosphere on course. To make matters worse the water aid stations ran out of water at the 16Km mark which was totally unacceptable. Overally, very disappointing!”

4.0
Prakash K. - 13.01.2014

“Very disappointing - Water Stations - The water ran out and the people ran out as well! There was no additional drink. Medals - No medals which is a big disappointment Course - course was good considering the constructions Baggage deposit was not there, which meant going back and forth! Pre event instructions were disappointing as there was no communication or very less”

9.0
Anonymous - 13.01.2014

“No medal for finisher - I hope next time they will give medal for the finisher of the run. for us to say that we made and finished the run.”

8.0
Annette V. - 13.01.2014

“Ould like more information - No certificates were given to all participants. Enjoyed the run”

9.0
Anonymous - 13.01.2014

“Good job - First time to join and cant wait for the next Fun Run hete in Qatar. ”

8.0
Allan G. - 13.01.2014

“More sponsors please - Would be great if they had more sponsors. I feel it is quite expensive considering there seems to be no sponsor booths hosting freebies. No medals were given although they had noted it down in the ads/announcements. ”

7.0
Anonymous - 13.01.2014

“My first big running event, will repeat next year. - Missing the finishers medal... I was looking forward to my first medal.”

6.0
Camila H. - 13.01.2014

“Needs better organization - Needs better organization”

6.0
Manuel, Jr. O. - 13.01.2014

“Needs improvement - There are no medals given to finishers. it would be better not to put it in the advertisment so that runners are not going to expect. t shirts and snacks can be distributed after the finsh line. anyways, i hope the proceeds of the race will be used for good causes as advertised.”

10.0
Anonymous - 13.01.2014

“ Great event Wish there where more - Thanks It was very good please continue with the great job and do at least 2 ,3 Mertens a year”

10.0
John S. - 13.01.2014

“Great day - Overall friendliness of people at the event. ”

5.0
Marcin N. - 13.01.2014

“That was a complete disaster... - I run full marathon 42km, and paid 250 QAR entry fee: 1) no facilities to story my bag (smaller races at Aspire have that) 2) medals were promised to all finishers and were not provided !!! complete failure 3) not enough water in support stations - running 42km w/o water ? who organized it 4) THE WORST MARATHON EVENT I HAVE EVER PARTICIPATED IN - next week running in Dubai Marathon”

9.0
Anonymous - 13.01.2014

“Amazing - Amazing race, had fun, great organization but hoped if they gave medals ”

4.0
Rita W. - 12.01.2014

“ No medal a joke - No medal . Course poor. Instructions poor. No spectator support. Medal s the most important thing and organisers got it so wrong Goody bag was a disgrace. Go visit Dubai creek striders race and you will see top class organisation from start to finish”

5.0
Anonymous - 12.01.2014

“Short of Premier standards by a long shot - MISSING: Bag Drop Off, Medal, Timing Certificate, Electrolite Drinks and Snacks along the way. All req'red DISAPPOINTING: Change of start time 12 hours before event. I wasn't sure if it was real or not. 6.30am is a better start time than 7,.00am though, but wondering why the late change? ACCEPTABLE: The route is long and boring, HOWEVER, I DIDN"T mind the up down up down... as it helped me pace. But wouldn't do it again for that same reason..”

8.0
Deepu A. - 12.01.2014

“Great start, next one should fill in the gaps - The start of the race should have been cascaded as per the distances so that everybody finished almost at the same time and all results are announced at the same time. By the time the participants for the full marathon finished, there was nobody left, as everybody else had finished their event and obtained their result & went back. This was not a nice thing for the full marathon participants. In addition, race medals should have been given for finishers. T-shirts and race medals are some of the basic things of every race. Anybody could come and request a T-shirt. Instead it should have been part of the finishers pack along with a race medal. The online certificates were a good thing. To spice things up there could also have been special tropes and cash prices for winners in every categories. Good for a first time marathon event, however, it should be done better next time. ”

8.0
Adrian Joseph F. - 12.01.2014

“Needs improvement - Needs more improvements, especially on race category, starting time for each category, not a mass start. the highlight of the race is the full marathon, they need all the moral support of the participants. organizers did not recognize the fullfillment of each full marathon runners. after getting the top finishers they left the race and did not wait for the other full marathon runners to finish the run. organizers should consult the international organizers how to conduct this kind of events. this is the first full marathon event in doha it should be grand but it was not. In the registration medals are included but in the actual event there is no medal. the organizers should be true and honest to their participants regarding this matter. this event is poorly organized needs a lot of improvements and needs a consultant for this event.”

6.0
Colin M. - 12.01.2014

“Promising but could do better - Felt the support stations and signing were superb. Felt it was a good move to change the course from last year. Feel that it would be nice to include city centre and west bay in a future Half Marathon/marathon run. Picking up the numbers and time chips was fine. Post race snack was ok but rather disappointed not to get a medal at the end of it. Toilet facilities were great. Feel that a place to drop your bag would be a good idea for next time. All in all a good effort and thanks very much. I enjoyed the day.”

4.0
Anonymous - 12.01.2014

“Very poor organization! - No medal, theres empty water station, poor shirts, less marshall and unfriendly marshalls, medic vehicle running so fast behind the runner. was expecting good event as this was the largest run event in doha so far.”

6.0
Anonymous - 12.01.2014

“Fair - 1. Registration fee - Expensive for having -tshirt and snacks only. 2. Inclusives - Maybe next time it includes for medals, thumblers and caps or goody bags. 3. Race Route - The route is good. 4. Finish Line - I think its better the finish line should be visible enough to runners (now finish line is located with 50meters curve. 5. Chip timing - for me as a runner under Bib chip timed is better compared to normal chips to attched to ankle or shoes, because other runners forget to give the chips at the finish line. 6. For Food & tshirt - some runners get 2 shirts coz oraganizers dont have checklist or tickets so that no one can get double. 7. Maybe next time there should be an additional game booth or machine that we can enjoy related to fitness or running for free. 8. Cheering squads at the finish line for the next marathon. 9. Prizes - we know that it's for the benefit or help to less fortunate, i think its better there's a prize money for the winners. Today's marathon they all have same prizes (camera only) for the 1st, 2nd or 3rd. Trophies also is ok for me, coz u can treasure it for a long time compred to gadgets. 10. Maybe that's the reason why only hundreds of runners joined the full marathon (42k) because its not yet fully organized. Looking forward to have a good marathon next year. Thank you. ”

5.0
Anonymous - 12.01.2014

“MOST UNORGANIZED MARATHON EVERT - 1. 10k, 21k AND 42k runners run at the same time, and the result at the end, 42K runners are all left behind with no cheerers or supporters and even people to see. - they should have let the 42K runners started the race first. 2. water stations run out of water. runners were not informed to have their own energy drink. runners were even begging for some water and bananas on the road. 3. at the finish line, the marshals are not courteous at all. they did not even congratulate the finishers and all they want is "GIVE ME THE CHIP". 4. registration is 200 Riyals for the half marathon. and during the registration it is clearly mentioned that give-aways, finishers shirt, finishers medal will be given, and sad to say, all first time runners went home disappointed. to be fair, a giveaway shirt is given with a piece of banana, bread and a tetra pack juice. it's a big lie to believe that there is a medal and finishers shirt waiting at the end. true that part will be donated to charity but who cares? they should give what is due for the runners. 5. the only good thing in this event is the registration and the timing and nothing else. to be honest, the only participants who are happy are the ones who won the race, but other than that. this race is the worst. Doha College is far away better than this.”

5.0
Alexandra R. - 12.01.2014

“Boring course, poor Pre-race communication - Why in the Pre-race email did they not firstly, let you know how to access the car park (we wasted time queuing to get in the main entrance only to be turned away by police) and secondly, let you know you need to know your race number in order to pick up the race pack. There was a huge group of people desperately trying to find their number and I suspect several missed the start. The route was incredibly boring with zero supporters. I felt very sorry for those doing the full marathon. No km/mile markers. I wasn't offered a T-shirt. The race wasn't cheap to enter, there should be a t-shirt for all. Please, a more interesting route next year.”

6.0
Richard A. - 12.01.2014

“A decent first attempt at a marathon - Parking was somewhat chaotic. The start was not well organised as all the various races started at the same time. But the course was well laid out and well marshalled. There were plenty of drinks stops and medical facilities were provided. Atmosphere: zero. Virtually no spectators (apart from my wife and her giant pom-poms!). My biggest criticism: no medals and/or certificates. This must be rectified for 2015. Not a patch on Dubai but I'm local and I wanted to be in on the start. I'm sure it will get better and I intend running next year.”

7.0
Sofiane G. - 12.01.2014

“Marathon was almost successfully organized - The goody bag was not included or not offered to some runners, caps not given to runners. For race pack collection the t-shirt was not given to me systematically until I claimed it . ”

5.0
Anonymous - 12.01.2014

“Not well organised. - They should hire a well experience race director for this great event in DOHA. ”

4.0
Anonymous - 12.01.2014

“A terrible route worsened by poor management - I recently had a brilliant experience running the Dubai Creek half marathon.I had expected something similar in Doha, but was majorly disappointed. Instead of taking its usual route from the MIA to the Sheraton and back, we found ourselves running along a bleak highway in the middle of an industrial area. Signage was poor - and non existent on the way back. Water stations ran out of water between 12-15km markers. Staff were unhelpful and/ or indifferent. The post race experience was no better. An email the night before had indicated a "healthy meal" - instead we were given tasteless pre wrapped sandwiches, one banana each and a bottle of juice. I live in Doha and would like to think the city could manage a destination marathon. The city has some incredible landmarks which would make for a great running route. On the evidence of this experience, however, I can't say I would recommend it to anyone. Regards, Burhan. ”

5.0
Anonymous - 12.01.2014

“Room for Improvement - The route was disappointing - there are some really nice areas of Doha (downtown West Bay, the Pearl, Katara, Aspire etc) which would have been much better. I think marathoners really struggled with the route that was chosen for them. Also really disappointed with the packs (a disposable bag and some food, not enough t-shirts for everybody) and how they were distributed. Obviously the fact there were no medals for marathoners is disgracefu. One of my friends ran his first and last marathon in Doha on Friday and he has no memento to show for all his hard work and training. Definitely more volunteers are needed to support runners. All in all, I think there is massive room for improvement but I have no doubt that this event will get bigger and better each year. Despite the above, I would still do it again.”

7.0
Jeremy S. - 12.01.2014

“Great fun event, course is dull, - Parking and toilets need to be improved but registration and getting chip was easy. Course could be so much better if it went along Cornishe instead of on a motorway.”

5.0
Anonymous - 12.01.2014

“Needs a more exciting route and medals for maratho - As others have posted, the route was very boring, for the marathon that second lap of the highway was mentally the toughest run i have done, no support and your out there alone in the middle of a highway. Water ran out at 15-21km marks, and i considered stopping and not continuing the marathon as the marshalls didnt know when water was coming. NO MEDAL!!! this was a big one for me, after training so hard for months and to get to the finish line, not a single Oreedoo marshall there to congratulate you and no drink or anything handed, it was a pretty awful finish! then i had to ask where to get bags with a sandwich and a juice in it, i thought possibly there might be a medal in the bag, nothing, the t shirt we got didnt even have marathon written on it. This has a potential to be a great event with a better course and abit more runner support.”

5.0
Peter D. - 12.01.2014

“Poor event - need to focus on the basics - I had reasonably high hopes for the event as it was first time that marathon distance was being run so expected there to be care and attention to it to get it right. Instead it was let down badly by some of the basics not being in place. First and foremost there is NO EXCUSE for any marathon not to award a medal to finishers. I've run marathons of all types in from high profile, big city to small events with 20/30 runners and you ALWAYS get a medal. A medal was clearly listed on the Premier Online website as being available for finishers so to get to the end and not receive one was extremely disappointing. I have kept a copy of the registration screen showing clearly that a medal was listed for finishers and I hope that Premier Online will follow-up with organisers on this point. Second main gripe is that there was no bag drop at the start. I had flown in the night before to do the race and got a taxi to the start line. When I asked where i could leave my bag during the race I was stared at blankly by organisers and asked why couldn't I just leave it in my car? When I explained I didn't have one they had no options for me. They refused to allow it to be stored near at the registration desks and instead told me and others in similar positions to just 'leave it somewhere around on the ground' and that they refused to take any responsibility for watching them. We were simply told if we had any valuables in them (which of course we did - money, phones, etc) then it was our tough luck if the bags were robbed/ stolen. Couple of other gripes that are not so serious but also took away from event: - The T-shirt we were given was a generic Run Qatar shirt with no mention of the race, year or date. Again, for a marathon if you are going to issue a T-Shirt at least make it a proper memento by having race details on it. - Email from organisers that was sent day before stated 'Once you finish your race, we will also provide you with a healthy meal as a reward.' So to get to the end and be given a bag with a drab chicken roll and an apple was somewhat short of expectations. - Finally, there was no goody back of any description. Not exactly a core requirement of an event but, again, I've never been involved with a large, city marathon that didn't at least make some attempt to issue a good bag. I am hoping that Premier Online will be making strong representations to the organisers of this event regarding how poor their organisation of it was. To be fair to them they got it right in terms of the water stations and marshaling along the route and was great that the road was closed. However, in terms of value for money it was very bad. Having made the effort to travel for the event I felt very let down by it and will certainly not attend again unless there are serious commitments to improvement.”

6.0
Gavin M. - 12.01.2014

“Amateurism - Less than 1% of the world runs marathons and Qatar could not give their finishers a medal..? this was my first Marathon ( 42K) and I have nothing but a certificate on line to print. They ran out of water on several drink stations, no sports drink at all on any station and the course was so isolated that the only time spectators could watch was the first/last 2km !.. ”

6.0
Merry-Jo L. - 12.01.2014

“OK - I was happy there were T-shirts and food this year. Last year when I crossed the finish line after the half, there was no shirts nor food left. I do wish they would have a pre-race day pick up and metals at the end of the race. ”

8.0
Anonymous - 12.01.2014

“Communication and course not suitable - Communications are bad. Event wasn't made public enough (lots of friends didn't know anyting about it). Course was awful (there are so many better ones in Doha) ; even for a disciplined runner it matters - nobody wants to run a highway in the middle of nowhere between two airstrips without any spectators. Oganisers changed two things: course and the event start time ; that wasn't professional. I am passionate about running and really would like to participate again - but certainly not on such a route. ”

7.0
Yvette H. - 12.01.2014

“Good event, shame there was no medal - A recovery drink at the finish line would have been a good gesture. Otherwise breakfast was good quality.”

6.0
Anonymous - 12.01.2014

“Brain killer - More support is needed”

8.0
Anonymous - 12.01.2014

“For the 10K well organized, for the 1 K No Good - For the 10 K, the marathon this year was well organized, much much better than last year. however, my 2 sons “16 years and 13 years “ were disappointed because one of the organizer mislead them by telling them your 1K marathon for you age group is at 8:30am and they missed the marathon after all the preparations and the training they were doing. They participated last year and they were very excited to participate this year as well. And I think the announcement was not clear, they announce 1K for children category. I was happy with my run but we came home depressed with this incident. ”

7.0
Marleen C. - 11.01.2014

“Enjoyed running amongst runners. - Keep organising this event. Sure many comments posted before are valid. I mainly share those on split start times, provide bag drop-off, prices for 2nd,3rd and medals, entertainment on-route to both cheer runners and attract supporters. In that perspective, I think the registration price was too high for its return. But in general, I was happy to be there and see all the enthousiastic faces of runners all alike. See you next time! ”

4.0
Jeremiah O. - 11.01.2014

“A good start, not a bad effort, more to do - I know how difficult it is to organise anything new here so firstly well done. The event was a good effort but note the following. Pre event communication needs a massive step up, it needs a website which needs to be up 4-6 months before the event. The route needs to be known etc. The first e-mail I got with any info was the final instructions which arrived 12 hours before the race, far too late, even for final instructions. Half of the folk I spoke to on the morning of the run had not seen that mail. On the day the main car park at the MIA was closed, folk should have been told that and told where to park. There were no signs and no stewards who seemed to know. The people doing the registering expected you to know your race number. Runners were not told this. My race number was on the receipt e-mail from prem marathons when I signed up 3 months ago, I could not remember it. If I had been told to check during the week it would have been an easy do. Again a website would be useful with maps to show parking, registration etc. An event of this calibre should have sports drinks and gels available as well as water. T-shirt was ok but for a proper international marathon which I expect this aspires to be you need a real branded kit from a Nike, Asics, Adidas etc The route was a bit tedious. I appreciate the issues with traffic and safety but Doha is a great city and the possibilities for a great course are there. Hopefully with the rising numbers and profile there might be enough support at police/municipality/government level to close some roads off and get us running through the town. A lot of people seem very upset that there was no medals, personally that does not bother me. Lack of information in the build up is my main gripe. That is what led to all the silly rumours about the course being long/short/up & down the corniche etc. check out the websites from any of the big races to see what I mean. Training plans posted from month before etc, no need to reinvent anything, it is all out there. All in all it was a good effort and a decent event. There were things that did not go perfectly but there always will be, be sure to learn from them. Well done to all involved and thank you for the effort. Inshallah next year will be bigger, better and bolder. ”

7.0
Michelle P. - 11.01.2014

“Overall the event was a good first attempt - I ran the full marathon. The registration was well organized but the window for registering could be made a little longer so that the race started on time. The half and full marathon runners would have benefited from sports drinks aswell as water. Disappointing that 3 stations ran out of water but this can be easily rectified. The finish at the MIA was in a great spot and it was enjoyable running along the Corniche although suggestions for other routes next year could be towards the Sheraton, taking in West Bay, Katara, the Pearl etc. With small marathon numbers it was pretty hard going out on the highway. To attract more 1st time marathon runners a longer cut off time could be introduced - also during this marathon, the clock was turned off 5 minutes early when people were still coming into finish so they got a DNF. Pretty soul destroying after running for 5 hours. Also medals were promised but these didn't materialize. As above, it was a good first attempt and a few minor tweaks and a bit more advertising well in advance could make this an excellent event for 2015. Thanks for organizing the event, hope to be there next year. Best regards, Michelle”

5.0
Eulogy V. - 11.01.2014

“Event has potential but need better organizing - Start line up should be better managed and each distance should start separate. No one was sure where and how to stand. Water supplies ran out from the 5km of the 21km. I am not sure if the marathon runners even got water on the second round? I see the Oordedoo brand as an energetic, live creative brand. I feel that one route the brand could have had more exposure/attention for example cheerleaders at the water points, music? Due to the fact that the route is really straight forward, out and back, competitors would appreciate some action on route!? If this event wants to be seen as one of the big marathons in Doha, they will have to look at the route, to make it more interesting. I know it takes more organization to run through the town est. But why not give runners a REAL DOHA experience? No medals were handed out at the finish line? One would expect some kind of recognition for finishing a half or at least a marathon! All in All I think the event has the potential to grow, but they will need to look at the organization and sharpen it up! But thanks for the effort!”

6.0
Emma H. - 11.01.2014

“Poor communication pre-race - Pre-race information was very poor and was only received the evening before the event. All other races that I have participated in keep in touch regularly and send race info and route map more than 12 hours before the start of the race. The start was too busy, with three events running at the same time a staggered start would have been much better-there was a lot of people traffic at the start of the route which would have affected run times as no-one was able to get off to a quick start. No bag drop was a massive negative, lots of people had to leave baggage unattended. The race finish was a massive anti-climax, nothing was immediately available after the finish. Water was a short walk away as was the event giveaway pack-neither of these were well signed posted and both should have been available immediately after the finish. The lack of medal was a huge disappointment. It was nice to have a t-shirt but disappointing that it didn't have any of the race details on it to make it a true momento of the event.”

5.0
Mohammed Syafei A. - 11.01.2014

“Felt cheated and insulted - GOOD 1. Distance almost accurate 2. Course closed from all traffic 3. Water stop every KM 4. Toilets at start and 5km BAD 1. No medal even for Full Marathon finishers. A lot of people ran this as their first marathon. Ooredoo robbed them of their reward and their long months of trainings. Also Many overseas runner came to experience 1st marathon ever in Qatar. They went home with nothing to show 2. Race pick up supposed to be held the day earlier so the race can start earlier 3. All events not supposed to start at the same time. Full marathon should start earlier then Half marathon then 10k. The race village was deserted when full marathon runners finish their race as the half and 10k runners already left 4. Water and food at finish should be closer to the finish line 5. Last minute communication 6. No info on Event website on course profile 7. No isotonic drinks 8. Not enough water 9. Route out of city with no crowd support 10. MC not having knowledge of marathon event. 1km is NOT a Marathon, 10km is NOT a marathon. Marathon is 42.195 km get it? .......... Having said that, all of these flaws could be forgiven with a nice MEDAL ”

5.0
Lex A. - 11.01.2014

“Ooredoo should send a medal to all participants! - I have nothing to add to all the suggestions made by the other runners. The organizers should take these suggestions on board and organize a better event next year. I was one of the many runners not resident in Qatar and very disappointed that there was no medal at the end of the race. In my view it is the organizers responsibility to correct this and send a medal to all participants as a gesture of goodwill. Premier should remind the organizers that the runners paid for the medal!”

Comment from Premier Online - 11.01.2014
“There is a need to clarify that 'Premier Online' and 'Premier Timing' are service providers (not organisers of this event) and were contracted to the event organisers for certain services. Whilst we often have opinions and share these freely when requested, it is not our position to take the position suggested, no matter our thoughts on the subject. We would also clarify that the runners 'paid for' their registration, we do not sell/charge individuals for medals. Thanks for rating! :)”

4.0
Anonymous - 11.01.2014

“No medal!!! - 6/10”

6.0
Shawn D. - 11.01.2014

“Needs to be Better - Pre-event communication should be sooner - a week before. And a map showing how and where to park would be appreciated. Please have a bag drop-off place. The start line needs to be organized with the fast people at the front and the slower towards the back. Otherwise, people could get hurt if they get tripped from behind. Support stations were pretty good and plentiful, but please make sure there is always enough water and the marshals should be passing out the water and not leave it to the runners to grab off the table. Also, switch to smaller drink containers, because most people only drank a bit out of those bottles and then threw them away. The Dubai Creekstriders Half Marathon had perfectly sized containers, so you might want to check with them. Have sports drinks (and even gels) in addition to the water being given out. Great signage and marshalling!! The route is not very inspiring. Please include other parts of Doha (West Bay, for example). A more central route would also allow for more places for spectators to cheer, not just at the finish line. The distance (for the full marathon) was pretty close, but it still needs to be more accurate. Overall, not bad for a first year but it needs to be better in the future or registration might drop. ”

5.0
Anonymous - 11.01.2014

“Of the over 100 races run, this was not good - The fact that there was water at every KM was excellent. The T-shirts were very nice. Sandwiches at the end were delicious and great after a marathon. There was no bag drop-off and that is not acceptable at races where you might not get parking near the start or on a day when the temperatures are around 13-15 and you should keep warm. The race had a late start as the day before they changed the start time from 7:00am to 6:30am and number pick up was 5:30-6:30. (Whoever heard of that?!) Surprised at why the course was out to the airport and not in the direction of the Intercon so runners could have a lovely view of the Corniche, but that was not the case. For marathoners, it meant running the same view 4 times...on a slanted road (not good for the hips and knees) Support Stations only had water, no gatorade...another first for me in a marathon or 1/2. I thought medals were supposed to be given, yet we never received on...another first for me in a marathon, 1/2 or 10K. At least Doha is moving toward offering these events and there are hopes that this one will improve if people listen to feedback and involve people in the running of the event who truly know what a race should look like. ”

5.0
Ale R. - 11.01.2014

“Boring Event No Medals and Breakfast NO CHEERING - I WILL NOT PARTICIPATE IN THIS RACE AGAIN. NO COMMUNICATION FROM EVENT ORGANIZERS TILL THE NIGHT OF THE RACE. RACE COURSE WAS CHANGED TO DESERTED ROAD WITHOUT ANY NOTICE WHILE OREDOO WEBSITE STILL SHOWING THE RACE WOULD BE ALONG CORNICHE. DESERTED ROAD MADE RUNNING BORING TO DEATH. I RAN HALF MARATHON AND THERE WAS NOT A SINGLE PERSON CHEERING ON THE ROUTE BECAUSE IT WAS FAR AWAY AND NOT ACCESSABLE EASILY. PEOPLE AT WATER STATIONS WERE SO RUDE THEY LEFT WATER BOTTLES UNOPENED ON THE TABLE AND RUNNER HAD TO STOP TO PICK UP BOTTLES AND OPEN. NO SPORTS DRINKS ! HEALTHY BREAKFAST WAS A JOKE, A COLD SANDWITCH, A BOTTLE OF JUICE AND A BANANA…REALLY !!!! I SPENT 2 HOURS RUNNING AND BURNED 1800 CALORIES AND AFTER THE RUN THE COLD SANDWITCH?? THERE WAS NOT A SINGLE THING AS GIVE AWAY. THERE WAS NO FINISHER’S MEDAL ???? WHILE AT THE TIME OF REGISTRATION IT IS MENTIONED THAT FINISHERS WILL GET MEDAL I HAVE RUN OTHER SMALLER RACES IN QATAR AND THEIR EVENT ORGANIZATION WITH LIMITED RESOURCES WAS MUCH BETTER. OREDOO BEING THE LEADING COMPNAY OF QATAR ,THE BIGGEST AND BEST AND WEALTHIEST ORGANIZING THE ONLY MARATHON IN QATAR SHOULD BE GENEROUSE ENOUGH IN GIVING VALUE FOR MONEY TO THE PARTICIPANTS , I AM HIGHLY DISAPPOINTED WITH THE EVENT AND OBSERVED SEVERAL OTHER DISSATISFIED RUNNERS. ”

6.0
Aileen P. - 11.01.2014

“Average - No fruits at any station (eg. sliced bananas, oranges or energy bars) On the way back after 12K no more water at the stations Confusions where to park exactly. Not indicated that we have to use the back/side entrance of MIA. Very Expensive race (for a small event) compare to Europe, Asia. I can pay 60Euro (for the early bird) like Berlin marathon or Vienna marathon or any other marathons that has up to 40 thousand participants with a lot of entertainment & great atmosphere (not to mentioned the large number of spectator).”

6.0
Anonymous - 11.01.2014

“Good event for experience marathoner - This was Doha's first marathon - so credit where credit's due - thank you for putting the event on. The organizer's had clearly not stinted on the money invested but they are not runners and so had not fully considered the event from a runner's perspective. I am also not sure that the organizers had much concept of the calibre of some of the runners at the event. They had two Guinness World Record holders and a members of the 800+ marathon club taking part that I know of. Number collection on the morning of the event was okay although with more runners would have been difficult. There was no bag drop, but parking was close by. There were enough female toilets, but not enough for men. Startline water appeared to be limited. As an experience marathoner; I am self sufficient but could see this being an issue for novice runners. There was much confusion as to the start time of the race with different times being posted up the night before the race. This is clearly unacceptable - the start time is THE start time - end of. A staggered start and/or graded start would have been great. As it was, I ended up getting boxed by slower runners for the first km or so. It would have been preferable to be able to get a clean start. T-shirt collection was confused with the organizers unclear as to whether this was before or after the event. After some discussion, we persuaded the number collection point operators to give us the tops before (we'd heard that the previous HM event had run out and doing the marathon we thought there may not be shirts left for us at the end). I personally had no problem with the route. The roads were closed, there was water every km and that's all you need for a marathon. I personally are of the opinion, that it's up to the individual to meet there own energy requirements so would not expect gels/ energy drinks etc. Yes, the route was lonely on the second loop although the local runners did a great job of cheering people on. There was also a couple of km when there was no water on the second loop, but this was quickly rectified by the organizers. The water bearers weren't that enthusiastic - but it's a pretty thankless task and not that exciting. I get a feeling they were paid for their time, unlike some other city marathons which rely on volunteers. The race finish wasn't very inspiring. As a marathoner, you crossed the line, got your chip taken off you and that was it. There was no finisher's recovery area, medal, or even water bottle to hand. There at least needed to officials cheering finishers over the line and directing them to the stand giving out water and 'healthy' breakfast. Aside from the local running club, there was no one there cheering runners home. A massage area would have been most welcome. Okay, so the organizers cannot get supporters there. Particularly to a first event, and particularly to a Middle East event as these have to be run early morning, but perhaps a family event starting mid morning would encourage people to the area to see the marathoners home. I believe the 10km and half would have enjoyed a better atmosphere due to the higher number of participants. All in all, there's a lot to work on, but the event was a first great effort at a marathon and I am still proud to have taken part. ”

5.0
Ian L. - 11.01.2014

“Nice try, but generally unsatisfactory - Boring course, nowhere for supporters to stand (if there's been any) for 20K of the course. It would be wonderful if the course could be run through areas where spectators can (and are likely to gather). It was clear halfway through the 10K that the water stations were running out of water. This was more of a promotional event for Ooreedo than a sports event to encourage and support sport in Qatar. Must be prizes for 3rd place and equal prizes (in numbers) for Women, and an announcer who knows what he is doing, he was embarrassing! Spoke as if he was in a rap concert, announced results in seemingly random order (of categories) and in wrong order and terminology (1st winner, 2nd winner... instead of "In 3rd place in a time of ... A, In 2nd place... and the winner of the X category of the 10K race is..." Medals were promised but not given, goody bag was a T-shirt, and the post race breakfast was very poor. The staff of the MIA seemed to go out of their way to be difficult, asking what runners wanted when driving in through the only gate to the official car parking. The traffic police made no attempt to help those waiting to turn in through the port entrance when a queue was building up against the red light (the road closure meant that there was no oncoming traffic). The organisers must send out more information (only communication an email less than 14 hours in advance) and sending out some notes on etiquette would be welcome, far too many walkers and slow runners had put themselves right at the front for the start, making it difficult for those behind who were running. Announcements to the same effect would be useful, but that would require an announcer who has some idea of what he was doing. It may be worth separating the starts of the 3 events. ”

5.0
Stephan V. - 11.01.2014

“Boring course, no medal, poor aidstations - Very boring course, on the highway, therefore absolutely no spectators. No medal (despite being announced) - very disappointing. No race t-shirt. T-shirt is just advertising Ooredoo, not the event itself. Only water at the aid stations, which is insufficient for a marathon. Overall, organization very unprofessional. On the level of a small village sports club organizing a local event.”

4.0
Stephanie S. - 11.01.2014

“A commercial event - I am a regular runner. I devote a lot of time to my passion and am lucky to share this passion with my family, club and friends. Ooredoo's event would have been NOTHING without the runners who where there yesterday. Yet, runners have not been respected. Again podiums were a joke! How can we compare female and male results! The second female in the category 15-22 is only 15 years old. She has completed her first 10K in 53'. She was ignored. Where are the 3rd male and female in the same category? Ignored! People have completed a 42K that day... 42K! You CANNOT let marathon runners cross a finish line without applause (public) and without any medal! A 42K is hours of physical preparation, months of hard training, 3 weeks recovery after the race! Ooredoo did a wonderful commercial event, but a very disapointing sport consecration event. ”

6.0
Elias F. - 11.01.2014

“It could be better - No medals for Half Marathon Finishers, although it was mentioned in the registration. Food/Fruits/Energy Gels not offered in the Water station. Distance is slightly higher (discrepancy of 400m). Poorly organized start ”

6.0
Anonymous - 11.01.2014

“Hoping for more improvement next year. - No electrolites food and drinks in aid stations which is crucialy important for every runners to sustain our energy in long distance running and not to compromise the runners safety. no km marker on the course and the most important is the organizers representative to appreciate our accomplshment, hanging medal and saying "congratulation to your great achievement." Thanks for giving a chance to comment because I Love this Sport. :)”

5.0
Anonymous - 11.01.2014

“Failed to deliver a potentially rewarding event - I was disappointed with the boring route, NO bag drop, NO medals and the fact that the aid stations ran out of water! The emphasis should not be on the winning (as the announcer and the lack of medals for participants indicated), but on everyone's hard work in getting to that finish line. ”

7.0
Anonymous - 11.01.2014

“Race pack collection / Entry to venue / Medals - First and foremost, This was my first half marathon, and it was really an awesome experience!. However, below are some suggestions to make the event more better next time: 1. Race pack collection : It would have been much better to start distributing the race kits a day or two earlier. 2. Main Entrance to MIA : I reached with my friend at the entrance gate ten minutes before the scheduled start time for race pack collection (0520 hrs), only to find the entry to the gate blocked by barricades. Upon enquiring with the personnel as to how we can access the car park, the reply was in a rude manner. Proper signage would have saved all the hassle! 3. Medals for finishers?: The event information at premier online mentioned that medals will be given away to finishers. However, this was not the case. However, certificates were available for download from the premier timing website, which is appreciated. 4. T-shirts: After around half an hour of the collection counter opening, we enquired as to where we can collect the T-shirts, to which we were told that it can be collected after the race. Eventually when I collected the T-shirt after the race, the size that we required and more importantly, the size mentioned at the time of registration was not available. This could have been avoided if the T-shirt was distributed at the same time with the Champion chip. So overall, the event could have been organized much better. Nevertheless, it was fun! Thanks.”

5.0
Anonymous - 11.01.2014

“Not impressive full marathon event - Definitely will not recommend this event. Finishing was very poor and the fact the finish line arc/banner was blown by the wind - good thing there were no children/people in that area when it went down suddenly. Still no improvement, same as last year's event. The Ooredoo Marathon Team don't listen to feedback. Nothing new. Not expecting it to a company/brand like this.”

5.0
Jeff V. - 11.01.2014

“Not worth it - The race started on time but runners should be penned according to their distance/pace. most of the slow runners are at the front. toilets are ok. stations ran out of water at 15km. no medals as mentioned earlier. poor goodie bags.”

7.0
Anonymous - 11.01.2014

“Good except for support stations - For marathon and half marathon runners you cannot just give only water this is not acceptable some stations did not even have water you need isotonic drinks if you cannot supply don't organize a marathon and organize 10 km”

10.0
Anonymous - 11.01.2014

“Awesome... - More marathons in Qatar..... The shirt and food are good... ”

7.0
Randy R. - 11.01.2014

“Hoping for a better marathon next year. - This my second time to join the Qtel/Ooredoo Marathon. Comparing last year, there are more participants and T-shirt quality is way better. With the addition of the Half and Full Marathon this year, organizers this year have a handful of preparation to make. There are lot of good comments here which hopefully organizers can apply for next year. I hope for a better marathon next year. (with medals)”

7.0
Anonymous - 11.01.2014

“Poorly organized - Collection of race pack should be a day early, ooredoo run out of water starting from 15kilo, no rehydration drinks. announced the winner early and ORGANIZER LEFT WITHOUT WAITING FOR REST OF THE RUNNERS. Obviously the effort of the rest are not valued. ”

10.0
Anonymous - 10.01.2014

“Awesome Experience of my 1st 10K Marathon - The entire experience was all new and awesome for me...”

7.0
Michele H. - 10.01.2014

“Good organization overall, crummy course! - Good: Fairly organized, bathrooms (good ones) and water where you said, course where you said, race packet pick up smooth. Bad: Changed the start time the day before, ended (closed the course) 30 minutes earlier than advertised, crappy course (for full marathon had to run up and back twice-blech!), no trash cans anywhere, my Garmin said 26.52 at the finish (rather than the standard 26.2). I thought I got my first DNF (due to the course closing at 5 hours), but was very pleased to find that my time was recorded. Would recommend closing a marathon at 6 hours as many do. I would also recommend having something other than water, especially at the last couple of stations. Electrolytes, bananas, oranges or watermelon, flat Coke. But I did appreciate all the volunteers. Very helpful. And I did really appreciate the truth in advertising regarding the bathrooms, water stations and course. ”

6.0
Peter B. - 10.01.2014

“Enjoyable but needs more thought. - Poor signage for parking. No bag drop facility. Stations ran out of water! How is this possible? No medal at finish as advertised. Very disappointing on the finishing touches. I also doubt the distance was correct as advertised based on many independent participants readings. ”

6.0
Anonymous - 10.01.2014

“Good - You should stagger the runs and not have them all start at th same time There should be a medal for all finishers depending on race distance There should be some coke, bananas at a few of the drink stops The food bag was poor”

8.0
Anonymous - 10.01.2014

“Photos - Should have photos when reached to the finish line and take print of it.”

6.0
Anonymous - 10.01.2014

“Poor organization - During registration, medals where supposed to be for awarded for finishers. After the race, no medals at all. What is the point to write the opposite in the registration? No motivational teams to boost the runners. The stations were the most silent I've ever seen. Apart from water, especially for the Marathon runners, precaution of health bars or fruits should be applied. This is mandatory for Marathon runners. An event speaker with more experience and better English would be appreciated. The event personnel were not easily identified because there was no distinguished clothing or apparel. No trash cans during route. All the bottles were a moving obstacle for runners. No trash cans in start/finish area. The place soon became messy.”

8.0
Anonymous - 10.01.2014

“Results - It was great to see the results appear so quickly. some photos of the event would be nice.”

4.0
Sanjay D. - 10.01.2014

“Poorly organized event - I used to take part in mumbai half marathon . so u guys know where thongs r going wrong to start with : there were no road markings for parking the car . the roads were blocked ( for the event and they ought to b ) post getting our chip and number we realized what about the goody bag and guess there were not there . The T shirt that organizer guys promised to give was not given b giving a reason that u come after the race and take it . there should have been open lockers to keep things in the cold morning weather . not organized at all . ”

6.0
Chris A. - 10.01.2014

“Great event but patchy organisation - - Great atmosphere at the start/finish with lots of happy runners, good music and excitement. It's excellent to have such an event in Doha. Thanks so much! …..however….. - Late change of start time and route, poorly communicated - Parking signs were poorly positioned and were being put up after packet pickup started. Police seemed confused about parking access. - Some of the men's toilets were locked. - There were lots of late starters, maybe because of the change of start time and parking access confusion. - Shame about the course which was very uninspiring and almost no spectators. Corniche is MUCH better for runners and spectators. Probably road works caused the change of plan? - Finish line officials did not seem ready for the first few 10km finishers who were not announced. - Finish line announcements were not clear. Presentation announcements did not include finish times. - Half marathon route was long (my GPS recorded 13.71 miles). - Results very prompt, but should be ordered in chip time. - Will definitely do the half or full next year if I'm fit and still here in Qatar!”

Comment from Premier Online - 11.01.2014
“Hello, We're glad you appreciated how quickly the results were posted; thanks! Results are ordered by Gross time as per international standards. Chip (Net) time is your own personal time and not reflective of how/where you ranked in the finish order. For more information about Gross and Net time, please see here: http://www.premiertiming.com/res/grossnet.php ”

9.0
Lonnie C. - 10.01.2014

“Well done folks - Great event and great planning. Thank you. Even parking was good. Communications was fantastic and appreciated the constant email updates. ”

5.0
Anonymous - 10.01.2014

“I would have loved if I got a medal at finish line - 1- the MIA parking was closed even when arrived at 6AM 2- I expected to get a medal at finish line, but that was not the case 3- suggest to put signage to show remaining KMs ”

5.0
Talib Y. - 10.01.2014

“Nice course, dreadful organisation of the race! - It starts with terrible communication throughout, including race day, staff on duty who could not answer basic questions, no bag drop, no medals, pretty awful food bag at the end, poor prizes for such an event, dreadful prize presentation. Water ran out for later marathon runners. No excuses like the one I was given…….its only our second event! There are enough runners in Doha from whom you could have taken sound advice, but nope. Not good enough ooreddoo and Qatar must try harder. The event will die with this kind of repeated organisation. Learn from UAE events which have more history”

3.0
Anonymous - 10.01.2014

“Changing the rules on you during the race - The information about the event before the event was minimal at best and changed, it seemed, during the course of the race. Web site information said the duration of the event would be 12:00hrs, which might mean an absurd 12 hours or it could have meant 12:00pm, which would have meant a 5.5 hour cutoff time, which would have been tight for an old guy like me but do-able. However, on the course, judges pulled me off the course at 4:15 into the race, saying I wouldn't be able to finish in the cutoff of 5 hours (which would have been true, but if I had known there was a 5 hour cutoff, I wouldn't have signed up for the event, as that time is beyond my reach right now), a time that had never been mentioned . Needless to say, I was angry, disappointed, and sad, as I was on target for reaching my goal, both completing the race and doing it well. Not that it would have mattered to me today, but there was no medal for finishers and "marathon" wasn't mentioned on the t-shirt (which I've since tossed away). I would never register for this race again, and I might also switch companies for my mobile coverage.”

5.0
Anonymous - 10.01.2014

“Poorly organized - No signage for parking Toilets over crowded Many water station out of water after 1st lap No distance markings after 10K Serious disturbances from traffic crossing around the port area ”

7.0
Will Stuart P. - 10.01.2014

“Almost great but no medal destroys it all - I think the event is great but most of the participants joined the event not only because its a charity event but because they also want to receive the marathon medal as stated in the premiere site. But, I will join again next year because I know they certainly give the medal, I hope so :(”

6.0
Anonymous - 10.01.2014

“Much better than last year but still a way to go.. - Positives - much better organisation at start - good toilet facilities, great t-shirt, easy registration, good refreshments after Negatives - no bag drop made it difficult for runners without people accompanying them, having to run with car keys etc. parking difficult, no distance signage, stations ran out of water, REALLY dull route. Still a vast improvement on last years, well done Ooreedo! See you next year.”

6.0
Anonymous - 10.01.2014

“No medal and boring course - The route was boring, maybe it should have gone through the city or along the cornish - nothing to see. No medal for finishers made the registration price a rip-off.”

10.0
Mario T. - 10.01.2014

“Well organized event and timing was great. - Well done and lloking forward to more events.”

4.0
Derek H. - 10.01.2014

“Very poor course, limited water, no medals - Overall, i was very disappointed with the course and event. There was chaos at the start due to confusion about car parking. The water stations ran out of water. Most importantly the course was the worst I have ever ran as it was along a dual carriage way so there was no atmosphere nor any interesting scenery. The last email from the organisers mentioned medals. There were none. It is standard to give medals for half marathons. I would have preferred to have a medal than a food bag. I will not take part in this event again unless the route changes. ”

4.0
Ingmar W. - 10.01.2014

“The event wasn't organized with runners in mind. - First of all, thanks for organizing this event! Especially as this was the first full marathon to be organized in Qatar I congratulate you for your efforts to promote sports in Qatar. I hope that you will be continuing this effort and organize another marathon next year. To put my comments into context, some background about me: I’ve participated in well over 50 international sporting events ranging from 10km runs to the world championship in triple ultra triathlon (11.4km swim, followed by a 540km bike ride, followed by a 126.6km run – without breaks). At the moment, I’m a slow but passionate ultra marathon runner and 3-5 times per year participate in running events of about 100km. Concerning 42km marathons, I’ve participated in about 15 such races of all sizes over the last 14 years and in 5 different countries. Compared to other events I was very much disappointed. Overall it felt as if none of the organizers was a runner or had participated in a marathon before and that they did not quite understand the needs and expectations of marathon runners. I should add that I would be more than happy to sit down with any of the organizers to share my detailed feedback and to help improve the race’s organization in 2015. So feel free to contact me by email ([email protected]) or by phone (+974 3339 3532). Detailed comments below. Bib number: In the best races, the bib number shows the *name* of the runner. So that the spectators can shout “Go John!” instead of “Go number 1472!”. This is a small detail but one that shows that the organizers care. Bag drop: There was no possibility to deposit and then later pick up a bag. For people arriving by taxi or walking this causes a serious problem. Showers: Not all races offer this but good ones do. Often showers in a nearby school are used with a (free) shuttle bus operating back and forth. Massage: Again, not all races offer this but after-race massages, especially for the 42km run, are greatly appreciated and help enormously with regeneration. Any runner will be thankful. Indications where to go/park: Arriving at MIA, where exactly to park was not indicated and confused many people. Where then exactly to go to pick up the bib number was slightly more obvious but which gate/door to take was also not exactly clear. Where to go after finishing was a complete mess. (More on that below.) In good races you’re “funneled through” from one station to the next without the possibility of getting confused. Energy drinks/food at aid stations: Though water-only is acceptable for a 10km race, it is not acceptable for a 42km marathon. Experienced runners had brought some things themselves (I fortunately did) but I had to give some of my gels to another runner who was completely low on blood sugar. Energy aside, drinking only water while sweating without replenishing minerals can cause life-threatening over hydration. (A friend of mine almost died because of drinking only water in his first marathon when it was hot.) Getting some input from experienced runners on what should be offered at the aid stations would be of great use in the future. Finisher medals or finisher shirt: Sadly, there was no “finisher souvenir” whatsoever. The typical thing is a finisher medal, often accompanied by a finisher t-shirt. Even some 10km races give out such medals which are always appreciated. Welcoming of finishers and taking off of chips: I couldn’t believe that when I arrived at the finish line after 4 hours there was – nobody. Not a single person to congratulate me, to show me where to go, to take of my time keeping chip, no medic to check if people collapse. Nobody. This is disappointing on so many levels and shows that the organizers do not quite understand or appreciate how a runner feels after running non-stop for 4 hours. There’s a danger of collapsing, people feel proud and want to be congratulated, they are confused and might not know where to go next, they can hardly bent over to completely untie their shows to remove the chip, … [I should add that there was no shortage of volunteers. At the same time plenty of volunteers at the registration desk where playing with their mobile phones, showing how much they support sports.] Route map available before: Only after the race (just now) I found the route on another website. I have no idea why it could not be linked to from premiermarathons. Knowing the route helps people to “station their friends”, e.g. meeting them at a fixed point for gels or energy drinks. Choice of route: For a high profile marathon in Doha I was expecting to pass near the Souq Waqif, to pass through West Bay, through Education City and so on. The chosen route had no spectators, nothing to see and, frankly, no atmosphere whatsoever. If there really is a high-level commitment to advertising sports in Qatar then blocking roads for a few hours on a weekend is well worth the trouble. (It happens in all cities where runners are appreciated, such as Boston, Berlin, London, …) Lack of website: Even races with less than 100 participants I’ve been it had a dedicated web site with detailed information (maps, schedules and so on). Even just a free and easy-to-setup Google Site would have been of great help. No idea why that was not possible. (The premiermarathons page had only very basic information, not even maps of the area or information on showers, bag drops, …) Volunteers bored/don’t care: The volunteers gave the impression that they were just told to sit there and do something, without having any appreciation for running whatsoever. Maybe issuing a call for volunteers through the Doha Bay Running Club or similar organizations could yield people who care and just naturally want to help runners. Confusion about starting times: It was first announced at 7h00, then 6h30 , it started late at 6h40 even though it was somewhat cold for the muscles to just stand. Very unnecessary and avoidable. Announce 6h30 from the beginning and then start at 6h30 sharp. Other marathons with 20x more participants also manage to start on time. Where to turn exactly: at the turning points and at the curves the exact route was not clear. E.g. at the turning point some people turned behind the last big “u-turn” indication, some turned before. No markings on the ground and the volunteers gave no indication about what is correct. Of course, the difference is just 10m more but runners are tired and don’t want to think or guess where to run. Avoidable by having clear marks (= colored line as in other races) on the ground. Then people just follow this line. Email communication: The email communication was a mess. First I get a (somewhat funny) message that a marathon is a 42km race, giving me the option to change my mind to a shorter distance. Then there’s an email message congratulating me for finishing the race – before I have even started. An email I had sent with questions was ignored. -- I really and truly hope that one of the organizers gets in touch and let's me explain my comments in details. I'm a dedicated runner and want to make this event a success next year. This year it was, unfortunately, not.”

Comment from Premier Online - 11.01.2014
“Hello, most comments are for the organiser; for ours please note there were 3-6 chip retrievers at the finish line from 7am-1pm; sorry if you missed these or they missed you. Email option to downgrade was acted upon by 30+ registrants who appreciated the option. Automated email with results link is sent at scheduled start time, with new start time email went 30mins earlier, it's assumed no one is checking email right before or during race. Organizer contacts on event page, we hope this helps.”

7.0
Gary B. - 10.01.2014

“Fast but boring course - Very poor pre-race communications, start time in all advertising and even in newspaper the day before was given as 07.00. However a text the nigh before stated 06.30 start. Terrible communications. Only 1 email re the event after registration, no advice on route change until we saw it on the day. I do note though that road works had started in the Shraton area only 2 weeks before. Very fast course but oh so boring. Road surface excellent. This year there were race packs / food left over for the half marathoners but I doubt that there was much for the full marathoners. Most of the course not available for spectating. I will run it again as a good training run for marathons later in the year. Good that i was Friday this year.”

6.0
Ryan P. - 10.01.2014

“Had potential but wasnt quite there - Support stations ran out of water for the full marathon runners regularly, medals would have been a nice touch. Last minute reminders only the night before the event leaving the communication a little late.”

7.0
Anonymous - 10.01.2014

“No Medal Provided - It is worst that first time join the marathon event there are no medal provide for all finisher”

5.0
Anonymous - 10.01.2014

“Will improve - The atmosphere was quite nice although the kids one kilometer race wasn't organized well. Because of the wide range of ages in participants I think that each age group should've gone at separate times. My parents who were watching the race, saw three children falling over and then being trampled on by the rest of the people in the race because of the over packed amount of people setting off at the same time. In addition, we were all told before our race to follow the car in front. Then the car took a turning which wasn't on our route therefore I was following the car going the wrong way. This "detour" compromised my place, and was dangerous to follow, in the fun run and compromised my time as I ran further than everyone else in my race. Also I'd like to mention that the race which was supposed to be one kilometre was definitely significantly less than the kilometer. As well as that, the organisers were unclear about the times of the races or where they were and the website clearly stated that all finishers would get a medal which we didn't. The course was far too tight so kids were running into fences because of its narrowness. In conclusion, I think I have clearly stated the many flaws in today's Oreedoo marathon and i have showed how worrying the safety aspects of the race were. I hope you can take this feedback in order to improve future events and to prevent any of these downsides of a supposedly "fun run". ”

6.0
Anonymous - 10.01.2014

“Getting better - Great pre race facilities - toilets etc. the course was long-10.2km/21.4 Stations ran out of water ! Not good. Much more impressive if we had run along corniche to katara - show off the city! But the course was fine. Great prizes... But the announcements not great.. Not clear who was winner who was second... Great idea for kids 1km race. But Needed a lot more mgmt. more route directors more guides etc. the start looked chaos and all the kids ran 100m before stopping not knowing where to go.”

5.0
Santiago E. - 10.01.2014

“Room for improvement - Online Registration Process: Did not accept Debit Card. Event Pack collection: Should be done few days before the race, late start due to many people still picking up package. Start/Finish Org: Late start. Events giveaways: The T-shirt was too small for XL, and I'm regular guy, can imagine somebody with a bigger frame using it. Medal: NO medal, and the registration states that there will be medal for all finishers and is even mention on the items included on the package! This is the second time I register for this race, last year I showed up but did not run because I had my bag with my belongings and important documents as passport, Lic, Work ID credit cards and there was no Storage Area so I did not find any place to leave it, so I decided not to participate on the race, for my surprise this year there was no storage area, luckily I learn my lesson from last year but I heard people complaining about it. Yes I will participate in this event next year, I'm sure things will get better every year. Best Regards Julio Garcia ”

Comment from Premier Online - 11.01.2014
“We are sorry to hear you could not get your debit card to work but happy to see you managed to register and pay with your Visa Card. Please inform our Online Help Center if you face any issues online.”

7.0
Darwin P. - 10.01.2014

“Nice event - Would be great if theres a finishers' medal...”

9.0
Anonymous - 10.01.2014

“I thought it was well run - Good race. I would like to have known about the new start time before 8pm the night before the race. I also didn't get a medal if there was one. Overall a good experience for me, and I will participate again. Thanks!”

7.0
Brian B. - 10.01.2014

“Great event - Parking and access was a problem. I was never exactly clear when my event started. I thought the 10 k was at 7 but it went off with the full and half which is ok. A bit more pre race communication. Otherwise great.”

8.0
Gary W. - 10.01.2014

“Good but could be better (e.g. Doha College 10k). - Uninspiring but ok route, lack of water at support stations (again), uninterested marshalls, no medal. Food was welcome after the run.”

6.0
Paul S. - 10.01.2014

“A good event but some basic organisation missing - A bag drop facility is essential! Athletes need to stay warm before the event and afterwards and need quick access to their bags and warm clothes. ”

6.0
Kaitlyn F. - 10.01.2014

“It was a fun event but could be organised better. - Some suggestions to improve the kids event: 1) the course was not clearly marked, especially towards the end, some kids were running the wrong way. 2) The race should have been divided according to age groups eg, 5 to 8, 9 to 12 etc running separately. Since all the kids ran together, several kids fell down, some were pushed by bigger/older kids behind them. This could have caused serious injury as the youngest were 5 years old but running along side of 13/14 yr olds. 3) the MC should be a professional who is experienced in such events, to make it more lively and fun. the announcements were dull. 4) The event information mentioned medals , but no medals were given. ??? Thanks, Laura Fernandes (parent of runner)”

10.0
Ganesh P. - 10.01.2014

“Real Fun - I can't believe I have completed 10 km marathon as I never participated such long race before. I am happy as it is really fun to run for purpose. I have great pleasure running for charity. ”

3.0
Anonymous - 10.01.2014

“Ripped off event!! - Ripped off event! Waste of my time money!! Inaccurate information in PermierOnline website about the medal!! Medals for: Finishers (Everybody who registered in ooredoo Marathon, please go back and see your past event, it says Medal for finisher!!) Everyone who runs 10km, HM and FM did not get medals!!!!! Even the kids!! Only 1,2nd and 3rd get the prize? What for we pay QR150 for adult and QR50 for participating??!!!For charity? That much?? Ooredoo is only depend on the participation fee for charity??! When registering online, it clearly state there will be medal for finisher. I encourage my daughter to take part on 1km. When the event finish, she asked me.. Daddy where is the medal? What should I answer her??? Totally ripped off event!! ”

6.0
Siti Nor Zawani M. - 10.01.2014

“Overall the organization of the event was good. - The organization of the event good but I believe many participants were disappointed that there were no medals given to the finishers.”

5.0
Hiral A. - 10.01.2014

“Basic things were neglected - Great motivating and exciting atmosphere. Perfect for a Friday morning. Blip: 1 km fun race for children, Route was not clear, dangerous, slippery & uneven due to interlocking bricks, congested and not suitable for these numbers of children to run at the same time. Safety consideration for children was not given priority. No dustbins around and the good looking surrounding became dirty in no time. Print of the chip time at the location would have been great”

Comment from Premier Online - 11.01.2014
“In line with most events around the world we provide all results online only. Results are usually available either during the race or within an hour after the race, we hope these proved sufficient for you. www.premiertiming.com for full results and downloadable timing certificate.”

8.0
Sheila B. - 10.01.2014

“I - Super event, I was so proud to be part of it. The atmosphere was lovely. Special thanks to the traffic police who did an outstanding job of keeping us all safe. Thank you! ”

5.0
Anonymous - 10.01.2014

“Very bad organization - There was only water in the refreshment station and it was not enough. ”

7.0
Michael P. - 10.01.2014

“Not as good a course as last year but still great! - Poor start organisation, started ten minutes late. If there is a medal for finishing I didn't get it as no one told me about it. Shame the course is not the same as last year, it was nice to run the corniche last year. Other than the start a very well organised event, lots of water stations and stewards. More toilets at the start next year please and toilet roll/paper should be provided next time.”

7.0
Hans-Dieter G. - 10.01.2014

“Event ok, but room for improvement - Overall it was an ok race, roads completely car free, lots of water stations, food after the race was good. Registration was smooth and easy, pick up of race pack without problems. There is room for improvement: parking was unclear, no drop-off of bags organized, so I had to go back to my car to lock up my things. The race description in the internet announced that the best spot for spectators was between MIA and Sheraton, the actual race went in the opposite direction towards airport. Where could you get your medal? But all in all the event was ok. ”

7.0
Alastair O. - 10.01.2014

“Great race, disappointing post finish reception. - Desperately needs proper organization of parking facilities.”

9.0
Marc A. - 10.01.2014

“My firts half marathon - great experience - Upset about my friends who wanted to take a finish photo... Does anybody have a photo showing the number 155? I would very much appreciate if someone would send me by mail ([email protected]). Thank you so much in advance. Otherwise it was a real great experience. After consulting a doctor some while ago I reduced over 20 kg (m, 1.96m, now 92kg) in about 6-8 month and participation in this event was my personal target. Sure I will do again in the future. Thanks to team and supporters.”

6.0
Anonymous - 10.01.2014

“Needs improvement - This event was decent given that it's only the second one. There were good poits and bad points. Good- lots of water stations along the route, registration was easy, medical assistance was in place and visible throughout 10k. Security and roads were vehicle free, race started only a few minutes late which is impressive in Qatar. Breakfast was healthy and appreciated following the race. Needs improvement- barriers were in the running path at the beginning of run and I witnessed someone run into one which is very dangerous Start line - would be better to stagger start times for different categories by 15 mins: marathon 6:30, half 6:45, 10k 7am to prevent interference in the start for serious runners. Finish line - when I ran past the finish line I ran into a wall of children waiting to start their 1km race. Runners need a clear finish area so that they can slow down and stop after a finishing sprint. So move the 1km race to a different start location. Start/finish area - set up garbage bins and a bag drop for runners to leave valuables they can collect following the run. ”

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