FAQ
E-visa is now available for nationals of eligible countries on the following site: visitsaudi.com
For nationals of other countries, contact us for details on visa issuance for the race.
More information about VISA process here.
Yes, certainly. Saudi Arabia is a very safe country for lone travelers and has a very low crime rate.
The local currency is Saudi Riyals. There are ATMs in AlUla, but no currency exchange, so you should plan to exchange money in the Riyadh or Jeddah airports.
Winter is the best time to visit AlUla, with temperatures ranging from 10-25 degrees Celsius (45-70 degrees Fahrenheit). It does get colder at night, so it is important to pack some warm clothing.
AlUla by road is approximately 3.5 hours from Medina. If you are flying it is necessary to purchase a flight with your festival ticket, and festival organizers can arrange this for you.
Winter at Tantora runs for 12 weekends from 19 December 2019 to 7 March 2020. The festival runs from Thursday to Saturday each week.
Your finisher certificate will be available on the results page of our website a few days after the race.
Yes. Professional photographers will cover the general event and many photos will be posted online after the event.
No.Verbal support only at designated points (Locations of these will be confirmed shortly) is permitted but the EcoTrail® AlUla rules requires runners to be semi-autonomous.
Assistance by the race organisers is only allowed at designated Aid Stations.
No external assistance at any point on the course or assistance at aid stations with food, drink, gear, pacing, etc is permitted. Penalties will be imposed for breaches of these rules in order to have a fair competition for all.
No.
You can transfer your bib to another competitor up until February 3rd only.
After this date no name transfers are permitted.
We will share soon the accommodation package in our website. Please stay tuned.
It is possible to change to a shorter race distance up until 31st of December as long as the shorter race you wish to join is not sold out.Please note you will not be refunded the difference in price if you avail of this option.
Continuing on your own after official retirement is not permitted.
For the 80km:
- Head lamp + spare battery
- AlUla’s weather is very pleasant in winter, however early morning starts will be chilly. So long sleeved tops and leggings are advised
- Hydration Bag / Belt including bottles with at least 1 liter of fluid
- Food item / Energy Gels / Energy or cereal bar (at least 2 of these 3)
- Mobile phone with a working SIM card
- Waste Bag
- Medical First Aid Kit (small)
- Personal water cup (we will not provide cups at Aid stations in the principle of protecting the environment and to have NO garbage in the trail)
- Rain jacket (it can actually rain hard in Al Ula this time of year!)
- Emergency blanket
For the 50 km
- Hydration Bag / Belt including bottles with at least 1 liter of fluid
- AlUla’s weather is very pleasant in winter, however early morning starts will be chilly. So long sleeved tops and leggings are advised
- Food item / Energy Gels / Energy or cereal bar (at least 2 of these 3)
- Mobile phone with a working SIM card
- Waste Bag
- Medical Kit (small)
- Personal water cup (we will not provide cups at Adi Stations in the principle of protecting the environment and to have NO garbage in the trail)
- Rain jacket (it can actually rain hard in Al Ula this time of year!)Emergency blanket
For the 10km
- AlUla’s weather is very pleasant in winter, however early morning starts will be chilly. So long sleeved tops and leggings are advised
- Recommended: small running pouch containing mobile phone with a working SIM card, waste bag and personal water cup (we will not provide cups at Aid stations in the principle of protecting the environment and to have NO garbage in the trail)
Participants on the 80km and 50 km can benefit from a drop-bag/clothes deposit service. At the latest 15 minutes before the start, runners bring their drop bag at the designated tent at the start venue of their race. For the 80K participants, event staff will bring the bag at approx km 35, and after everyone has passed, will bring the bags to the finish for recollection by the runners. For 50K participants, event staff will bring the bags to the finish for recollection.
The three race courses will be marked by flags, tape, and biodegradable spray paint.
We will use colors to distinguish between the three race distances:
- Trail 80km Blood red
- Trail 50km Orange
- Trail 10km Sky blue
- Hike 10km Brown
As a general rule the course will be marked at every junction or other area where you could be in doubt where to go.
Navigational skills are not necessary but it is vital that you remain aware of the need to follow the route marking and not assume that everyone that is ahead of you has done so.
If you reach a junction that has no race marking then you should retrace your steps until you find a junction with route marking and follow route from there
Whilst we will have some marshals out on the course at critical points like road crossings points, most trail junction will not be marshaled so you are responsible for following the marked route.
The Aid Station will be located each 10km for the 80km and the 50km. For the 10km trail and hike you will find aid stations every 5km.
In the aid station you will find:
- Water
- Isotonic drink /energy
- Pepsi /Miranda / Seven Up (at LAST aid station before finish)
- Fruit (water melon, orange, sugar melon, banana)
- Nuts: salted cashew nuts, salted almonds
- Cookie or cake
- Arabic bread + Peach jam/Kiri cheese at 2 Aid stations for 80K and 1 Aid station for 50K
- Hot Tea at 1st Aid station of 80K
- Local culture: dates/ tahini + Arabic coffee
Cut Offs for 80km Trail: 13 hours
Cut Offs for 50km Trail: 8 hours
Cut Offs for 10km Trail: 2 hours
Cut Offs for 10km Hike: 3 hours
We do not have any mandatory qualifying event for the 80km course.
However, we strongly recommend that you should have successfully completed at least one 50+km off road running event in preparation for this significantly challenging event.
Trail shoes are strongly recommended for all distances in the EcoTrail AlUla event.
Regular road running shoes are not suitable for the mix of trail surfaces that are included in all distances.These trails include significant sections of gravel, rocks, roots, sand and most likely mud.
No.
No. All bibs must be collected in person either the day before the race or on race morning.
No - All participants must collect their own race bib and timing chip in person and must provide proof of identity (copy or original)
Deferment of your entry to another Eco Trail event is not possible.
No. Once our maximum entry limits are reached and registration has closed, it is no longer possible to get a bib as maximum capacity has been reached.
We do not intend having a waiting list, even in case of cancellation of some other person's entry.
You can check your registration application at any time with the registration number indicated in the confirmation e-mail you received.
If you cannot find a confirmation mail please check all your e-mail folders
If you are sure you have entered and paid then drop a mail here with all details you know of your entry including distance, date entered, etc and we will investigate.