Wadi Rum Full Moon Desert Marathon

Lonely planet? I definitely felt very lonely on the route. Second lap of marathon I ran all by myself. Fast runners were 30-40 minutes ahead of me, I did not see them, the other two marathoners who finished after me were also not in my vision. It felt as the whole marathon as organized just for me. So unreal. Moon and landscape were amazing indeed, but I was too concentrated on the green glow in the dark sticks, to appreciate the whole view, not to mention I never ran in the sand before. It was very soft, and it was windy. Tough race, it was challenging my mind, my courage, my strength, you name it:). You have to train for it seriously. I loved the volunteers at the water stations, we had nine points. I was happy to see them every time, because after leaving the water station I was all alone again. But I made it, finished strong in 6 hours 7 minutes. Unforgettable experience indeed!

Two half marathons, two laps. The second lap I called " A lap of faith".

Great Scenery and awesome vibe at the event! Super sandy. I was surprised by how much deep sand there was. Was much harder than expected. Add 40 mins to your half marathon time and two hours to your full marathon.

Super sandy. I was surprised by how much deep sand there was. Was much harder than expected. Add 40 mins to your half marathon time and two hours to your full marathon.

Jordan is a Beautiful Country and the people are so welcoming. The event itself was well organized by Treks Jo and the venue (Wadi Rum) is one of the best trails to run through. It was tough at times due to the sand and good at times on straight surface. Overall, highly recommended as an experience to be off your bucket list.

The route is amazing, soft sand & long climbs.. +1 hour on to your 1/2 marathon PB’s. Very challenging as all good races should be.. the atmosphere at the race village is great, we’ll organized teams of volunteers, all very helpful & informative. Thoughts: Better lights for the route .. Registration open until closer to start time, more electrolytes at every CP, more shade & AC spaces to relax in pre / post race.

Straight in to the ‘muck’ soft sand with some rolling hills… long climbs with some soft sand thrown in.. some compact sand to push forward on.. around 4-6km is a long flat hard sand to get those places & pace right up.. loop around for some long soft sand climbs up & across & down dunes.. soft sand climb to the finish.. take plenty of salts en route & say goodbye to your hip flexors