World record marathon champion Paula Radcliffe is to be the international figurehead for the eighth edition of the Al Mouj Muscat Marathon in the Sultanate of Oman’s capital next January.

The multiple marathon winning British athlete has taken on the ambassadorial role to promote the increasingly popular event which has seen a record number of runners in each successive year since 2012, with more than 6,000 taking part earlier this year.

The iconic former marathon, half-marathon and cross-country world champion – whose Women’s World Record time of 2:15:25 set in 2003 remains unbroken – aims to encourage greater participation by runners from both Oman and the wider regional and worldwide athletic community in the now internationally recognised event.

“Throughout my career I have set myself goals and then tried to achieve them, and by becoming an ambassador for the Al Mouj Muscat Marathon I hope I can inspire others, particularly women, to take on the challenge,” said Radcliffe.

“My childhood running coach used to say ‘aim for the moon because if you miss you will land on the stars’, and that is a great philosophy for running and for life. The Al Mouj Muscat Marathon is a fantastic opportunity for people to train, get healthier and take part in an inspiring event.”

Radcliffe will introduce and flag-off the start of the Al Mouj Muscat Marathon itself on Friday 18 January, and then take part in the 10k event.

Alongside the marathon and 10k races, the two-day festival of running will also feature half-marathon and marathon relay categories, a 5k charity fun run and a Kids’ Run.

“We are delighted that Paula has agreed to become our ambassador for the Al Mouj Muscat Marathon,” said Salma Al Hashmi, Chief Marketing Officer of event organiser, Oman Sail.

“Paula is a legendary figure in the marathon world and beyond and she will play a vital role in further highlighting what is now internationally recognised as a world-class celebration of health and fitness.”

The Al Mouj Muscat Marathon has seen record-breaking numbers in each successive year since it was first held in 2012. This year saw over 6,000 runners representing no fewer than 87 nationalities across all the categories – a 370 per cent increase on 2017 – and organisers Oman Sail are targeting a further step-change in 2019.

At the same time a long-term development plan has a target of 15,000 participants by 2022, with at least 20 per cent travelling from overseas as a result of Oman’s growing reputation as a premier sports tourism destination.

The 2018 edition was formally recognised by world running’s international governing body the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS), and the Muscat coastal course was certified to International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) standards.

Before the 2019 marathon Radcliffe will come to the Sultanate for an ‘experience Oman’ visit which will take in Jebel Akhdar in the breathtaking Al Hajar mountain range, the popular turquoise pools of Wadi Shab, a diving trip to the internationally acclaimed Damaniyat Islands, and a tour of Muscat including the Royal Opera House, Grand Mosque and Muttrah Souq.

She will also meet schoolchildren and the public at special ‘Meet Paula’ sessions, provide training tips for the Al Mouj Muscat Marathon, and get a sneak preview of sections of the course. Registered runners will have the opportunity to be photographed with her on Race Pack collection days before the marathon itself.

Radcliffe retired from competitive running in 2015. In her career she won both the London and New York marathons on three occasions, and has been European champion over 10,000m and in the cross-country. Her numerous accolades include IAAF World Athlete of the Year (2002), AIMS World Athlete of the Year (2002, 2003 and 2005) and BBC Sports Personality of the Year. She was awarded the MBE in 2002.

The clock is now counting down to the start of the 2019 Al Mouj Muscat Marathon with the official opening of registrations for the two-day festival of running. With less than eight months to go to the event on January 18th and 19th next year, organisers are aiming to build on the success of the record-breaking 2018 marathon – with over 6,000 participants – with a new high of 10,000 athletes expected across six running categories.
The eighth edition of the Muscat Marathon will again see Muscat Road Runners, Oman Athletics Association and Oman Sail jointly collaborating to achieve the new targets. The event will also have the continued support of title sponsor Al Mouj Muscat, Oman’s premiere lifestyle destination.
Organisers have already made one significant change, with the centrepiece marathon race along with the half-marathon, relay-marathon and 10km event now being held on the opening day of the festival, Friday 18th January.
The highly popular Kids’ Run and 5km Charity Fun Run – which together attracted almost 3,500 runners to open the event this year – will be held the following day.
“Al Mouj Muscat Marathon this year was an incredible success not only due to the huge number of participants that were involved, but the event also underlined the Sultanate’s status as a world class sports destination. We are delighted to continue our sponsorship for the third year in succession, and look forward to inspiring more individuals from Oman and beyond to take part and live a healthy lifestyle,” said Nasser Al Sheibani, CEO Al Mouj Muscat.
The Al Mouj Muscat Marathon is also supported by the Ministry of Tourism and Tanfeedh, the government’s economic diversification initiative which has identified the fast-growing global sports tourism sector as a key focus.
It is a vision fully shared by co-organisers Oman Sail confirms CEO David Graham: “Our goal for 2019 is to secure a step-change in participation with a significant increase in the number of athletes taking part across all the categories, which will in turn increase the benefits to the Sultanate.
“At the same time we have a long-term development plan through to 2022. Our vision is for the Muscat Marathon to be recognised as the premiere festival of running in the Middle East and North Africa region; to increase participation to a total of 15,000 runners, to see at least 20 per cent of participants from outside Muscat and to achieve year-on-year growth in its economic impact.”
The 2018 Al Mouj Muscat Marathon was won by Kenya’s Moses Too in a time of 02:19:30, with Ethiopia’s Brtukan Adeba Berihun posting a time of 02:48:55 to take the women’s title. It saw athletes representing 85 different nationalities, with 469 participants travelling overseas.
Registrations for 2019 can be made at muscatmarathon.om. The 42.195km marathon and 21.0975km half-marathon races will each have four categories – an open category with a minimum age of 17, and 40-49, 50-59 and 60+ age groups.
The 10km event will have similar age groups though the open category is open to runners aged from 13. It will also have a junior category for 13 to 19 year-olds.
The 5km Charity Fun Run is also open to runners aged 13 and above, while the Kids’ Run will have 1, 2 and 3km courses for youngsters aged 7-8, 9-10 and 11-12 years old respectively.
The Relay Marathon event is open to teams of 4 to 6 runners in male, female and mixed groups, the mixed teams having at least two female runners.

The record-breaking 2018 Al Mouj Muscat Marathon was hailed a huge success as thousands of runners filled the streets of Al Mouj from the early hours on Friday morning. A large international contingent of athletes welcomed the near perfect conditions, which saw many runners achieve personal best performances.
The centrepiece Al Mouj Muscat Marathon event was won by Kenya’s Moses Too who completed the 42km course in 02:19:30, ahead of Anouar El Ghouz with another Kenyan, Gideon Kipgurui Kipsang, third.
“I have raced other marathons and this one is very, very hard, but I am so grateful to have won it,” said Too after he crossed the finish line at the heart of the Al Mouj residence. “I am very happy to have won and it was my first time in Oman – it is a very special place, very beautiful, and the people are incredibly welcoming and friendly.”
The women’s marathon title was taken by Muscat resident Brtukan Adeba Berihun. She said: “It was a very nice race and I am very happy to be the winner. Muscat is a beautiful place to run and the people have been lovely, so welcoming.”
And for eight-time marathon runner Manal Rostom the Al Mouj Muscat Marathon marked a new personal best performance. The high-profile Egyptian runner and mountaineer has been the figurehead of a global Nike-made athletes’ hijab campaign.
“I just love how the (Oman) culture is evolving and the way they are introducing kids, expats or locals everyone, to exercise more – today it was a perfect course with perfect scenery, and ideal for getting a personal best, so I am super-happy,” said the Dubai-based pharmacist and personal trainer.
And she added: “At the moment I think there is an evolution happening in the Middle East with how Arab countries are taking up sports, they are taking it more seriously than ever. To have an international marathon, such as the Al Mouj Muscat Marathon that represents your country is super-awesome, it smashes stereotypes.”
The Half-marathon event attracted a record 684 entries. Jordan’s Mohammad Alkhwaldeh won the men’s race in a time of 01:14:01 ahead of Omani runners Hilal Al Golandni and Mahmood Al Quraini.
The women’s race was won by Anne Murvold from Norway. “I have only done two half-marathons before, so maybe I should do some more!,” said a delighted Murvold. “I started too fast and after 11kms I was thinking ‘how will I do this?’ – but when I turned on the course it was OK and I had the wind at my back, and that was much better, so I am very happy.”
And she added: “It was fun racing on the golf course section, and Muscat is superb.”
Meanwhile, British athlete Sarah Steer was frustrated in her attempt to reclaim her Guinness World Record for the fastest half-marathon pushing a double buggy when a wheel on the buggy holding her twin three-year-old sons Luke and Nathan failed 2kms into the race.
“Today wasn’t the day – but I have held the record once so I am OK with that,” she said. “Muscat is great, and people have been so friendly, it is such a nice place to be.”
In the 10km event victory in the women’s race went to Muscat resident and physiotherapist Dawn Meredith-Davies. “It was a bit of a mad dash out to the front at the beginning but then I kept it steady – you have to have a target and I just kept going at that, though I had a great race with the woman who came second,” said Meredith-Davies, who runs with the Muscat Road Runners, founders of the Muscat Marathon in 2012.
The men’s 10km was won by Omani runner Abdullah Al-Quraini in a time of 00:33:55, ahead of Ahmed Al-Amri and Omar Al-Hmrashdi.
Meanwhile, the 5km Charity Fun Run in support of The Oman Diabetes Association saw 1099 runners taking part and was won by Muscat’s Amjad Alshkaili, with Kate McDonald the fastest woman.
Also taking part was Belgian runner Edwige Van Den Assem, who at 73 was the oldest athlete competing in the Al Mouj Muscat Marathon festival of running.
“I may be the oldest runner here but I don’t feel it – running makes me feel 10 years younger, gives me a lot of social contacts and I aim to keep on doing it. I like running because it keeps me healthy and I am a very active woman,” said Edwige, who only took up running when she retired 10 years ago.
“I will be 74 in December and hopefully will be back to run the Al Mouj Muscat Marathon again next year. I have just bought new running shoes, so I won’t be hanging them up any time soon!”
The prize-giving was held following racing with guest of honour His Highness Sayed Mohammed bin Salim bin Ali Al Said, ambassador and chief of Protocol, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Sultanate.
David Graham, CEO of event organiser Oman Sail, said: “Great congratulations are due to all the runners who competed in – and completed – this year’s Al Mouj Muscat Marathon festival of running.
“We were especially thrilled with the diversity of nationalities taking part and the enormous interest that we’ve seen from people of all ages and ability to participate in what is now a truly international event.
“The Al Mouj Muscat Marathon has proven to be an excellent platform to get people active and to promote the Sultanate of Oman as the ultimate adventure tourism destination. We are on the right path and look forward to working with our partners to grow the event further in 2019.”
The seventh edition of the Muscat Marathon saw a record-breaking number of 6094 entries across all race categories with runners from 87 countries including India, Britain, the Philippines, France, South Africa and the US.
In the run-up to the festival world running’s international governing body AIMS – the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races – formally recognised the Al Mouj Muscat Marathon for the first time.
Organised by Oman Sail, the Oman Athletic Association (OAA) and the Muscat Road Runners, and with the active support of title sponsor Al Mouj Muscat, official partners Carrefour, BP, Aquafina and Topfruit, and official suppliers Omantel, The Wellness Centre and DB Schenker, the event has gone from strength to strength to become the highlight of the Oman sporting calendar.
Yesterday, an extraordinary 2374 children – aged from seven to 12 years-old – took part in the Kids’ Run. Dozens of schools took part, with the Al Seeb International School winning the Most Active School in Oman trophy and 1000 OMR in gym equipment.

The 2018 Al Mouj Muscat Marathon festival got off to a spectacular start today when thousands of young runners packed the streets of Muscat for the Kids’ Run event. An extraordinary 2374 children – aged from seven to 12 years-old – took part in one of three races to launch the now two-day festival of running.
In what is a new event ahead of tomorrow’s centrepiece Al Mouj Muscat Marathon, the Kids’ Run saw dozens of schools taking part, with Al Seeb International School winning the Most Active School in Oman trophy and 1000 OMR in gym equipment.
The seventh edition of the Muscat Marathon has seen a record-breaking number of 6094 entries across all race categories. With the active support of title sponsor Al Mouj Muscat, official partners Carrefour, BP, Aquafina and Topfruit, and official suppliers Omantel, The Wellness Centre and DB Schenker, the event has gone from strength to strength to become the highlight of the Oman sporting calendar.
“Today has been a wonderful day and it has been truly inspirational to see so many children taking part and enjoying physical activity with their friends and schoolmates,” said Salma Al Hashmi, Oman Sail’s Chief Marketing Officer.
“All this has been made possible only thanks to the marvellous support we have received from the schools who took part, and that of all our partners – starting with Al Mouj Muscat – who have helped make this festival of running what it is today,” she added.
The thousands of children taking part in the Kids’ Run had started to gather from mid-morning ahead of the first start at 3pm, and were entertained in the Al Mouj Race Village by magicians, a marching band, face painters, stilt walkers and the TNT Hip Hop Crew. The BP SME zone also featured an Engineering for Kids display.
Following the races the Kids’ Run prize-giving was attended by guest of honour His Excellency Dr. Ali bin Taleb Al-Hinai, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health for Planning Affairs, members of the Oman Athletics Association, Nasser Al Shibani, CEO of Al Mouj, and David Graham, CEO of event organiser Oman Sail.
Prizes were awarded to the top three young athletes in each class. In the 1km category for 7 and 8 year-olds the winner was Ammar Al Lamki, with Mudrek Al Hatmi in second place, and Azzan Mohammed in third. In the females category, the winner was Marah Abdulall, followed by Caris Pollock, then Romily Hraham in third.
The 2.5km race for 9 and 10 year-olds was won by Nathan Byford, ahead of Harry Oweno, second, and Millar Bathgate in third place. In the girls category, Assia Samin took the crown, followed by Roukaya Ellkomy, then Rana Al Barwani in third place.
The final 4km race for 11 and 12 year-olds saw Keiji Maruyama take the victory, with Tamam Al Hasni second and AbdulAziz Al Harrasi in third place. With the girls in this distance, Grace Park came first, followed by Olivia Philips, then Kristina Sarah Siju in third place.
Tomorrow will see the highlight of the festival with the full 42km Al Mouj Muscat Marathon itself, the Half-marathon and 10km races, as well as the Marathon Relay category for teams of runners and a 5km Charity Fun Run in support of The Oman Diabetes Association.
The overall 2018 entry list shows there are runners from 86 countries, with large numbers from India, Britain, the Philippines, France, South Africa and the US, along with hundreds more from countries ranging from Australia to Yemen.
With an early 6am scheduled start for those taking part in the Marathon, Half-Marathon and Marathon Relay categories, the Race Villlage in Al Mouj will be open from 5am with a warm-up session by The Wellness Centre and light music by Adam Cole.
Further warm-up sessions and entertainments are scheduled ahead of the 9.30am start of the 10km race and 5km Charity Fun Run.
The festival of running will conclude tomorrow with the prize-giving ceremonies from 10.30am to 12 midday.

The final countdown has started for the 2018 Al Mouj Muscat Marathon as thousands of athletes begin to converge on Oman’s vibrant capital for Friday’s international showpiece. With a record-breaking entry and new formal recognition of its international status and course standards, the seventh edition of the event will see 6094 runners taking part in six different race categories across a two-day sporting festival.

This year’s Al Mouj Muscat Marathon will welcome an influx of athletes representing 87 different nationalities with sizeable contingents from India, Britain, the Philippines, France, South Africa and the US.

Compared with 2017 – itself a record-breaking year – entries for the Marathon centrepiece challenge have more than doubled to 234, with the number of runners in the Half-marathon and 10km events also dramatically increased with 683 and 1,299 athletes respectively.

A further 394 runners will be taking part in the Marathon Relay team category, with 1099 signed up for the 5km Charity Fun Run in support of the Oman Diabetes Association. While the youngest runner will be among the remarkable 2374 entries taking part in the Kids’ Run on Thursday – the opening event of the two-day festival – the oldest is 73 year-old Edwige Van Den Assem, who is travelling to the Sultanate from Dubai for the 10km women’s race.

The last week has seen anticipation rise with the publication of the 2018 Runners’ Guide with detailed information for runners and spectators alike, including advice, race regulations, health tips, event timetables and maps of the various race routes in and around the Al Mouj waterfront destination complex.

In the run-up to the start, organisers Oman Sail were delighted to receive formal recognition of the event from world running’s international governing body AIMS – the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races.

At the same time, the stunning Muscat coastal courses have been measured to meet global International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) standards making the Al Mouj Muscat Marathon eligible for recognised record-breaking performances.
One visiting runner with precise timing on her mind is a British woman aiming to reclaim her Guinness World Record for the fastest half-marathon pushing a double buggy.

Sarah Steer and her husband Martin only began serious distance running with their first marathon in 2011, but have now joined the exclusive 7 Continents Club of only 206 people who have run marathons on each of the planet’s seven continents, including Antarctica.

Meanwhile, following the arrival of twin sons Luke and Nathan, now three, Sarah set a buggy-pushing record in 2016 which has recently been narrowly broken.

“I’m recovering from some injuries so I am not as confident of getting the record back as I would like to be,” said Sarah, shortly before travelling from her home near Cambridge, England, for what will be her first stay in Oman.

“There are lots of little variables and a few things that could go wrong, but at the end of the day you just never know with a race, sometimes you can pull it out of the bag. I will give it my best shot which is what I always do – sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn’t.

“As long as I have fun and my boys are OK that’s all that matters. They love the buggy and get really excited when we go out. Martin will be running with me in support – occasionally the boys throw something out of the buggy so he has to be there to pick up the pieces!”

Al Mouj Marathon Runners’ Guide 2018 is now online and available for your download. Start reading it here:

Packed with essentials, the Guide includes the following information:

Race Factsheet
Course Routes
Race Day Seeding
Event Parking Guide
Race Village Information

With just a week remaining until the start of the 2018 Al Mouj Muscat Marathon on January 19th, excitement is growing as final preparations are made for what has now become a fully recognised international athletic event.
This year’s bigger and better event has attracted a record entry to what is now a two-day festival of running, with more than 6,000 athletes registered to compete across six events in what has become the centrepiece of the Oman sporting calendar.
A total of 6,051 runners are set to take the start of the full Marathon, Half-marathon, 10km race and three other new race categories, a dramatic increase from the 1,290 who took part in the 2017 event.
The growing international flavour of the event was shown last when the men’s race was won by Belgian athlete Pierre Breuer and the women’s by Icelandic runner Asta Parker. In 2018, local Omani runners have been joined by athletes from no fewer than 86 countries around the world.
The entry list shows substantial numbers hailing from India, Britain, the Philippines and France, closely followed by significant groupings from South Africa, the US, Pakistan and Ireland, along with hundreds more from countries ranging from Australia, Brazil and China to Venezuela, Wales and Yemen.
All of them can look forward to perfect running conditions a beautiful coastal course along the Muscat shoreline.
Acknowledging the Al Mouj Muscat Marathon’s growth to maturity, world running’s international governing body AIMS – the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races – has formally recognised the event for the first time. In addition, the course has been precisely measured to meet global International Association of Athletics Federations IAAF standards meaning it can be directly compared with similar events worldwide, making the course eligible for recognised record-breaking performances.
And to facilitate personal best and possible record times, ‘pacers’ will be joining the Marathon, Half-marathon and 10km races. These experienced runners – identified by their bright vests – will provide a pacing ‘bus’ to guide runners to their target times. Each pacer will have a target time clearly displayed and will run a slightly slower first half of their race, speeding up over the final kilometres to ‘pull’ runners along to the target time.
First held in 2012 with just 135 competitors, the Muscat Marathon has gone from strength to strength. Organised for its first five years by the local Muscat Road Runners organisation, the grassroots event has now extended its international reach thanks to the event management expertise of Oman Sail and the support of title sponsor Al Mouj Muscat, the renowned waterfront destination.
“Oman Sail was delighted to become involved with such a well-founded event in 2017 and we are happy to have been successful in building on that and broadening its appeal for 2018,” said Salma Al Hashmi Oman Sail CMO.
“It has always been part of our pioneering mission to contribute to the social and economic development of the Sultanate of Oman, and the Al Mouj Muscat Marathon works on all counts. It is a celebration of health and fitness and it is the perfect opportunity to showcase Oman’s particular blend of beauty and culture to international visitors,” she added.
Aside from the challenge of the marathon and its associated events, Oman offers a unique combination of adventure, sports and distinctive destinations, notably the vibrant Mutrah Souq and nearby Corniche, the imposing and ornate Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, and the striking Royal Opera House, all in the Muscat area. For those prepared to go further afield, Wadi Shab west of Sur, Jabrin Fort, Wahiba Sands, the Oman Fjords away in the north of the country, and Oman’s many spectacular coastal locations all offer an unforgettable experience for the more adventurous traveller.
For the new-look Al Mouj Muscat Marathon event itself, the first day will see a new running category – a Kids’ Run– on Thursday, January 18, which will feature three courses: 1km for children aged 7 and 8; 2.5km for 9 and 10 year-olds; and a 4km course for youngsters aged 11 and 12. No fewer than 2,372 young runners have entered.
The following day, January 19, features the main event with the full Marathon, as well as the Half-marathon and 10km races.
In a record-breaking 2018 entries have more than doubled for the Marathon itself – up by 52% – with the number of registrations for the Half-marathon and 10km events up by no less than 75% and 72% respectively with 684 and 1,285 runners.
At the same time there is another new category for 2018, a Marathon Relay open to teams of four to six runners who will each run part of the full 42km course with trophies on offer for the winning male, female and mixed teams with at least two female runners.
Overall, the youngest runner will be among the seven year-olds on the 1km Kids’ Run course, while the oldest entry is 73 year-old Edwige Van Den Assem, who is travelling from Dubai for the 10km women’s race. Meanwhile the 5km Charity Fun Run – a third new running category which offers the chance to support an organisation at the heart of an Omani national campaign to fight diabetes – has attracted 1,097 entries. The Oman Diabetes Association (ODA) is at the forefront of a project to prevent and reduce diabetes in the Sultanate and improve the lives of those already suffering from the disease.

International bottled water brand Aquafina has stepped into the Al Mouj Muscat Marathon as Official Hydration Partner at the festival of running. One of the world’s best known purified water products, Aquafina will be the sole beverage supplier around the two-day event, providing bottled water and Top Fruit juice boxes to competitors and members of the public. There will also be a Nestle Ice Cream promotional stall at the race village for the duration of the event.

With more than 6,000 runners now signed-up, the seventh edition of the Al Mouj Muscat Marathon will again be supported by the grassroots Muscat Road Runners organisation in conjunction with the event management expertise of Oman Sail and the support of title sponsor Al Mouj Muscat, the renowned waterfront destination.

Aquafina is produced locally by the Oman Refreshment Company (ORC) under a franchise agreement with PepsiCo. It is bottled at the ORC plant in Al Ghubra, along with the ORC’s own Top Fruit juice brand.

“We are delighted to be involved in such an inspiring event as the Al Mouj Muscat Marathon where we will do all we can to keep the runners hydrated and in great shape,” said Youssef Ezzikhe CEO of ORC.

“As a company we have always sought to be responsible corporate citizens and contribute to Omani society, so supporting the Al Mouj Muscat Marathon is a good fit for us and will also bring obvious benefits to all those taking part.”

Aquafina’s support was warmly welcomed by the organisers of the marathon. “We are delighted to be welcoming Aquafina as the official Hydration Partner of Al Mouj Muscat Marathon,” Salma Al Hashmi, Oman Sail CMO said.

“Thanks to Aquafina, runners will have many opportunities to rehydrate across all our event categories, and enjoy the local fruit juice product from Oman Refreshment Company.”

Now a two-day festival of running held on January 18th and 19th, 2018, the Al Mouj Muscat Marathon will feature three new additional running categories. The first – a Kids Run– is on the opening day and will feature three courses: 1km for children aged 7 and 8; 2.5km for 9 and 10 year-olds; and a 4km course for youngsters aged 11 and 12.

The following day will see the running of the established full Marathon, Half-marathon and 10km races, as well as two new categories, the Marathon Relay open to teams of four to six runners who will each run part of the full 42km course and the 5km Charity Fun Run in support of the Oman Diabetes Association (ODA).