Marathons in MENA
Break a record at a marathon
Guinness World Records provides marathon fun runners with the chance to become official record holders at a number of events around the world:
Get ready to set or break a world record during the Dubai Marathon 2026!
Marking the 25th anniversary of the long-distance running event, the Dubai Marathon 2026 (UAE) will take place in Dubai on Sunday, 1 February 2026.
The deadline to apply for a record during the Dubai Marathon 2026 is: 25 January 2026.
On the day
An official Guinness World Records adjudicator will be present at the upcoming Dubai Marathon 2026 (UAE), which will take place on Sunday 1, February 2026.
For entries in the 25th Dubai Marathon, please visit dubaimarathon.org.
On the day of the event, if your attempt and costume have been approved, you will be notified on how to meet the Guinness World Records team for a costume check before your race begins.
For the Dubai Marathon 2026, all Guinness World Records runners will be moved to a special location placed at the end of the marathon if their record attempt is approved for on-the-day ratification.
All the required data of the runners taking part in a multiple-person Guinness World Records attempt must be submitted to the Guinness World Records team before the deadline. These include:
- Full name
- Date of birth
- Gender
- Record attempted
- Predicted finishing time
- Photograph of proposed costume
Please note that we will only accept respectful costumes.
The approved distances are:
- Full Marathon: Same as the half marathon, participants can attempt wearing different costumes.
- 10km: Challenges will be accepted after review. Examples include Fastest 10k while dribbling a football and Fastest 10k while rope skipping.
For each of these marathon events, an adjudicator will be at the finish line to tell you whether you have successfully achieved the record you are attempting.
This is usually a paid-for service but, for these special occasions, the verification will be carried out for free.
An official Guinness World Records attempt is a great way of enhancing your marathon experience, with the option of raising awareness and money for charity.
Join all the runners who have broken marathon records worldwide in the past editions.
Who knows, you might make history!
Applications for the Dubai Marathon 2026 deadline: 25January 2026.
Please contact Mohamed Bouadda if you require any help or further details: Mohamed.bouadda@guinnessworldrecords.com
How to apply
For your application to be considered, you will need to include the following:
- A record title and full description of the Guinness World Records attempt
- You must include a photograph of your proposed costume with the application
- A projected finish time in your costume of choice, so that runners can be assigned to correct entry wave
- Dimensions of the costume or object that is to be worn or carried (including height, width, depth and weight)
- Applicant’s unique running number allocated via ballot-place confirmation, through a charity or other guaranteed means of entry
- Projected finish time in the costume you want to wear
- Should your application be successful, you will be asked to submit a complete a biography form by 25 January 2026. We request a biography so that a complete profile is available of each runner for our own channels and media use
- If the record title you wish to run for does not exist on our website, you are able to suggest a new title. Please note that runners will not be charged the £5 fee as stated at the beginning of the process. If you have any questions, please make a new application with your proposed title and image of the costume for our records manager to review
Please visit dubaimarathon.org for more information
