“amazing activity yet must be improved - Overall is a good event, highlights: 1- prior to event distribution and collection of event pack can be much better (e.g. a week earlier at a different location) 2- SMSs or emails can be sent prior to event to improve enthusiasm, raise motivation, healthy tips, preparations and ensure high morality of participants 3- randomness around start and finish line should be eliminated 4- signs at the event station should be more obvious 5- timers, counters, and support stations can improved ”

“Not bad at all - My first time in Doha so I enjoyed the marathon in all 42km. It was easy to find the spot and collect my bib, aid stations were placed on the right positions and volunteers were very helpful. There was some crowd on each 10km turn, which was blocking you to run faster, but anyway I managed to get the medal and T shirt of cotton which I used it later in the afternoon when I went for a long walk to the Souq.”

“Medals were over as I reached finish line but got - Very well organised. I was told medals were over but somehow I managed to get one for myself. ”

“it was great event - Race track need to be bigger as more participants join, had struggled last 1 k of my 21 run as a lot of 10 k runners were there walking. Maybe the other side of the road can be used next year. Big mess at the finish line, must improve the give away situation and the very poor quality of T-shirt.”

“Big Event - Focus on runners that complete - It is one of the major events in Qatar, Ooredoo is a big company and should manage the event professionally. The medal should clearly state the year and event taken part in and should be handed over on completion. The T-shirt should also indicate the event participated in and should have been given along with the bib kit prior to the event so that it could be worn during the event. I hope Ooredoo takes all the comments seriously and does a better job next year”

“Terrible organization at finish line - I wasn't happy when I crossed the finished line. I had no idea where to collect medals, T-shirts or find anything to drink. After wondering around and asking random people, I managed to pick-up the T-Shirt & Medal. T-shirt quality is extremely poor and will not last more than 2 washes. The medal doesn't differentiate between distances - all the same from 5K all the way to 42K. I was also very thirsty, and it wasn't easy finding something to drink. The music was insanely loud too!”

“Finish line chaos - Start organisation was ok. Perhaps staggered start or different starting position for faster runners, too many slow runners at the front. Finish was complete chaos. Queued up for half an hour for an awful t-shirt. Thought I was queuing for a race pack/bag which contained a medal, drink, energy bar etc. Queue needs to be better organised and away from the finish line, no chance to walk or cool down. Spent half an hour trying to get a drink! No post-race bag with drink or energy bar?!?!”

“Worst Event Ever!!! - I have participated in many events during my time as a runner but this event was by some distance the worst one yet. Positives: Flat course. Negatives: All distances running at same time. Same medal for all distances. Pathetic tshirt that went straight into the bin. Could have collected bib on morning of race. No reply to email from organisers. Nobody handing out medals at end and push to get to tent. I only ran 5k so i was grand but for those who ran half or full, wow, you really let them down ”

“Pathetic for an International Marathon - I run for fun,have participated in numerous events for the fun of it.The Doha marthon was similair to running around a staduim track of 5.2KM .Boring. Badly organised. I wonder how Qatar is going to organise the world cup 2022if they cant get a Marathon right....”

“It was going so well, but then ... - Excellent build up, atmosphere, starting on time, etc. but the finish was really, really poor. Cheap and nasty T-shirt, appalling T-shirt distribution - a single table and a mad crush, with no organised queue and hopeless marshalls making no effort to establish any system. Such a shame as this could easily be improved by having runners register what T-shirt size they are and having it printed on race numbers + having separate, well spaced tables, for each T-shirt size. An opportunity missed !”

“Good organization, terrible marathon course - Four laps for the full marathon made for a very boring route and exposed runners to the full force of the strong wind on every outbound leg. It would be MUCH better to have a route that only repeated the Corniche portion at the beginning of the outbound and return legs. There is plenty of roadway to make an improved course.”

“Needs better organisation! - This was my second halfmarathon and there is like a big gap compared to my first one (not in a good way)! - last minute information about pick up - no actual shirt FOR the run (we got it after 1. not a work out friendly material, 2. big chaos around the give away) Next year, just give it in advance, together with the bib number! - everyone got the same medal, which is not even showing your effort, you put in the run. At least provide different medals, which proves what you where running fo”

“Generally o.k, space for improvement - Enjoyed the run, overall satisfied; well marked, nice and traffic free route; never conjested, could always run my pace; enough liquid (water & gatorate). Space for improvements: Better, information on website; official cut-off time for marathon (4hrs30min) too short (earlier marathon start, eg. 5am or ending at noon); better organisation and marking of finishing area.”

“run was good, the shirt was poor medal generic - The run venue was nice, the backdrop of the water and running along the cove was appealing. The tshirt (cotton with iron on transfers ) was the cheapest, poorest quality I have ever received at a race. Bathrooms were clean. The multiple races that intersected at the same time made it difficult to run the 42k. recommend making the medals different, 5k should not receive the same medal as 42k.”

“=( - Giving the medal and Finisher shirt is not good we waited too long in the line. its not really organize. medal should be given once you reach finish line. some of staff should wait in the finish line then give the medal to the runners. and the design of the medal almost same as last year. Atleast try to put the KM you finish in the medal. And the finisher shirt very disappointing. Last year shirt is very nice. but this year really not good. Kindly improved the design of the medal and shirt.”

“Poor post race organization - After finish the race it was difficult to find where to collect medal, t-shirts, drinks and food. Everyone for every race got the same medal. The line for the tshirts was awful. There was pushing and grabbing for shirts only to get up there and find that they were out of many sizes including the one I needed. The shirt was garbage. It is basically a cheap cotton shirt with stickers that are peeling off even though I never wore it because it's too small. The box lunch was also disgusting.”

“Getting worse and worse.... - The positive point... 45 min gap between the semi marathon/marathon group and the others is a plus from last year... that gives more free space on the road while running. The finishing line full, no space even to walk after your race, medal and t shirt distribution point, food pack, water points during the race, the t shirt quality???? The bags consignment area.. Unacceptable and lack of respect for the runners. To avoid such mess at the f line, why not distribute the tshirt with the tag? ”

“A lot of work to do still - Needs better comms before event/t-shirt quality very poor/absolutely no reason t-shirt pickup can't be with race pack/absolute disaster at finish, horrible crowds, no one to give medals, pushing and fighting at tent to get both/time different races better--21K coming around loop at exact moment 10K started/educate better on runner etiquette--slower stay to the right/have pacers with pace signs at start for lineup-reduces congestion/change route next year now that path out to katara/pearl open”

“consider accept - Deliver of medal and t-shirt was horrible totally unorganized. food box worsens than last year. drop bag area wasn't safety, anyone can go inside and pick any bag”

“Fast race, bad organisation (again) - Good things this year: race pack pick up before the event led to swift start on the day. There was actually water at the end of the marathon which was an improvement on last year. Bad things: T-Shirts are a joke - cotton with iron on transfers -WTF? What happened there? Cut off time for mara was harsh so no wonder hardly anyone ran. Start times for diff races meant a clash at the starting point. No one noticed the mara winner cross the line - terrible appreciation for the sport. Please improve!”

“Pre event very good, post event very poor. - Everything leading up to the event was very professional and well organised. After the race however was pure chaos and badly organised. A better system needs to be in place for the runners to pick up their medal and t-shirt. The quality of the t-shirt and medal, poor. ”

“Many things to be improved. - This year event is worse than last year. Medal and T-shirt distribution is not properly managed. Last year, T-shirt was provided before race so it can be worn during race that is actually meeting the promotion purpose. I don't understand why it is not made happen this time. Its quality is not as good as last year without race category printed. This time no year print on the medal, just look like a generic medal that can be used any time. However, I will still participate to see friends there.”

“Enjoyed the run, could be organized a tad better - The run itself was fantastic - thanks to the organizers and staff/volunteers. 3 suggestions: [1] Would suggest that there be a return lane for those 1/2 & full marathon runners who are finishing lap 1/starting lap 2, as they had to run through us slow 10k'ers and they were not happy to weave through us. A dedicated return lane for 1k at the 10K mark would be great for them/all. [2] Move the tshirt / medal tent away from finish line-too congested [3] Drop the medal & get quality tshirt instead”

“Disappointed runner - I was expecting a better organization. The tshirts were given late and they were very cheap. After the race, the location of the medal and tshirt stands were very chaotic. ”

“It could be better - This is the only marathon in Doha and it needs to be better organization. Time measuring is not good because it is not measured relatively. Due to fact that I am not the professional runner I started 21km race at the very back rows and I crossed the start line couple of minutes after the kick off time (06:30am) ; but the time was measured as I cross the start line at exactly 06:30 am. Apart from that, I almost mid way of my race I saw a guy was riding on a bicycle on racing track. !!!! ”

“Needs improving if you want it taken seriously! - You really must stop the 10KM racers starting just when the 42.2 & 21.1 KM racers are approaching the turn around. Good runners with good times are being held up and it is very bad! The prize fund need dividing better! 3rd place in the 3KM 7-11 year old category got QR1500 while 2nd place in the Masters 42.2KM got nothing! The water stations need to be longer and the staff trained. Move the start finish line away from the main gate of MIA - it gets too crowded! The event T-Shirt is terrible ”

“Finish line was awful - 1. Collection of bibs should have been in advance (1 week) or posted to addresses in advance. 2. Turn up 1 hr before not 2 hrs 3. Bag drop- there were other runners in the bag collection area which meant bags and items could be stolen. No security enforced. More staff needed. 4. Medal and T-shirt collection- wrong location and stressful. I sweated more in the queue for the medal than I did in the run. All races finished at same time!”

“Could've been better. - The race event was awesome. The only issue was the very disorganized claiming of finishers' stuff. They could've put a different booth per category so it won't look like there'd be a stampede. I honestly was surprised that it was so disorganized that I thought of not claiming my medal, shirt, etc. But I had to fight my way to the front of the line. All in all the experience was great. Only the after-race was disappointing. ”

“Good to Encourage people about their health - Make cost-effective so that it each to maximum”

“Doha's "official" marathon event couldn't be worse - As official marathon of Doha sponsored by a major telecom company I'd expect to be at least decent. But this wasn't the case. I ran 5k and it took me more time to queue for the t-shirt than to finish the race. At the finish line there was chaos. T-shirt was of the lowest quality. The medal doesn't even mention the year of the run. Random people who didn't even run were taking medals and t-shirts. Would have made more sense if not registered but just ran and take medal and t-shirt for free.”

“Good event with some areas for improvement - -it would be good to have a signage indicating the kilometers on the track - t-shirt was of poor quality this year compared to last years - on the fun run maybe worth having a second starting line to keep parents back - would be good to have three stations after the run 1 for medal, 2 for t shirt (maybe this could be handed out with the race pack as it is practice in other runs) 3 for the snack package +water - medal looks almost the same every year, some variation would be good”

“Good event - Well organised until we tried to get t-shirt and medals at the end. Absolute chaos and a shame when everything else had gone so well. Should have been organised the same way as the event pack collection.”

“A great time running soured by the Chaotic end - The start was okay and i really enjoyed the race. However, there were too many races finishing at the same finish line and i felt sorry for people who could have been running for more serious times than mine. Mixing fun runners and serious runners at the same time at the same finish line was a recipe for chaos. Then came the collection of the medal and tshirt. It was an awful experience. A crush and a fight to get what was not worth crushing and fighting for. One tent per race distance please...”

“distribution of medals & t-shirt was dissapointing - The email mentioned that we can get the bib and t-shirt upon collection of race pack but they didn't give the t-shirt. This was the worst so far when it comes to distribution of medals and t-shirt, there's no queue organized. The medal does not specify the length of run. They only provided a cotton t-shirt which is not a good quality and I must say last year was 10x better. The certificate should mentioned the chip time and not the gun time!”

“Good event, still need to improve some logistics - I look forward to this event, great communication prior to event, hassle-free collection of bib this worked much better than collecting bib on the morning. Collection of medals and t-shirts was chaotic, this was improved by the time the kids races were started but needs to be rectified next year. Would like to see the junior/children's prize money lowered, it sends the wrong message to the kids and there should be a Masters category for the 5km.”

“What an absolute cluster - The course was boring, but fine. The T-shirt was absolute garbage. Why have big prize money for a few people and give the rest of us a shirt that looks like a 4 year old made it? It went straight into the trash. The medal & shirt collection was dangerous and so poorly organized that I couldn't believe it. It was a mob of people shoving each other and pushing people over. I CANNOT recommend this event to anyone. It was not worth the money I spent on it. ”

“Good. But still needs improvement. - I hope next year they will gove dri fit finisher shirt. The giving of medals and finisher shirts were not well-organized. ”

“Overall needs so much improvement - I live in Doha now was very excited to take part. But it needs so much improvement: 1. I paid the most I ever paid to join a marathon and not even a nice running shirt!?? nothing at race kit collection!?? You could have had any of the sporting brands cosponsor with you. 2. The racekit collection could have had sponsors and your self selling products at special prices. We would have bought things. 3.My medal looked just like the kids ones. Put the category 4. More med help with sprays 5. Etc”

“Fantastic event - It's my first time to participate in this kind of event and it was fulfilling. Hoping to participate again next year. ”

“Good Experience - Over All it was good, but at the finishing the Organization was ZEROO ..!! Taking the T-Shirts & Collecting Medals was very upset ..! Almost all runners were in the same place at the exact time .. Even it was without scanning our BIB to avoid that any one can take more than his Award other wise it was a good job. MAY ALLAH BLESS QATAR AND HOPE TO BE MORE BETTER AT NEXT INSHALLAH TIA”

“Could have been better - Confusion during the race start. I have been running in different events, but for this big of a event i was expecting something way better especially for the price for registration. Value for money? Thumbs down. There was chaos at the finish line. The shirt could have been given during the realing of race kits. For 200 bucks there isnt even a race jersey??? The medal you need to collect??? Could have been handed over when crossing the finish line. Anyways, hopefully it will better on 2020”

“NOT A GOOD RUNNING EVENT - Disappointed with the medal, medal collection, giveaways - the shirts are cheap, low quality type. Not systemic, not organized running event especially at the medal & giveaways collection. Medal should have a distinction of the run/km (Disappointing for the 21/42 km runners same medal with the 3/5/10km... shame on us who ran on 21 and 42 km. Its not recommendable, shame on Ooredoo marathon committee considering you have big sponsors. ”

“Good race but chaotic finish line! - Enjoyed the course over 21km. The start was well organised however the the finish line was a total mess. Nothing planned to handle the flow of runners crossing the line. Medals and t shirts were being handed out from a tent located adjacent to the finish line which was jammed with people. Furthermore non participants were pushing in to get a free tshirt and medal, again nobody managing the crowds. Security was non existent as two fights broke out and nobody dealt with that. Very unpleasant end”

“Enjoyable but a few issues - Overall I enjoyed the event but there were a few issues. Having a water station so near the start in a narrow area was a bad idea, people were running into each other. The finish area and t shirt collectiin were too cramped. The t shirt is very poor quality and having the same medal for everyone is disappointing. I only did the 10km so it didn't bother me too much but had I done the marathon I would have expected this to be recognised with a specific medal. Other than that, thank you.”

“Ooredoo Marathon becomes lamer each year - As I have mentioned in the previous races, the 2015 where I ran the 42K has been (and will ever be) the "best" experience I had with Ooredoo Marathon. The route was worth the journey (2 loops from Katara Village to MIA) and the race pack was really worth it. I received quality items. As years gone by and the annual event continues, the poorer the race pack gets. imagine? These are priceless items worth keeping (as earned). The finisher shirt is crap (stickers not prints) and so as the medals.”

“nice venue - T shirt a joke size absolutely wrong not available pre race, presumably as it was an embarrassment?”

“Can be organised better with a little planning - Give away not value for money. T shirt quality poor. Utter chaos in distributing T shirt and medals. No timing certificate or photograph received to-date - 16 Jan 19. Participants of different categories clashing with each other en-route. 21.1 Km was the best organised, while marathoners crossed path with 5 Km runners spoiling their rhythm and timing.”

“Needs better organization - Chaos at finish line, nobody to give out medals , tshirt collection also very poorly organized with people pushing each other to get a tshirt. Quality of tshirt alsoo very bad. Giveaway box was very poor considering amount paid for the event.”

“Could be fantastic if route & finish area improve - A good chance to run a long race on a nice and flat surface. Good water supply. Overall it was a good event but.... The finish area was ridiculous - you need a MUCH bigger space for runners to get water/medals/t-shirt. The route is boring for the half & full marathon runners - why not extend the route into West Bay or into the old town? Finally, you need separate lanes or routes for runners who are already running so they don't have to run into the back of a race that has just started!!! ”

“Surely a lot of space to improve - The event organization was quite average. I especially disliked the running track. It was not too interesting for marathoners, 4 same laps and constant obstacles of other distance people, passing through many slow pacers or even walkers. I wish the shorter distances would be separated. Event giveaways were quite random, I only found out of them by watching other people having crowding somewhere. It could be that i missed something.”

“why primer web not submitting comments to oredoo - Finis line not organized , the organizer should increase are of finish line ,and alert the finisher to clear this area. Shame of collecting the medal ,T shirt is of poor quality.I expect that organizer will give this event to a professional team. ”

“An event that can be managed - Timing of each runner was not available during the event and if it was available it was not shared. Medals were handed over without any control, I took my medal from a friend of mine who had 2... t-shirts are very good for cleaning and household works but not for wearing.. ”

“Need to get better - The race provides the opportunity for some fast times on a flat good quality road. However, having the 10k runners starting 45 mins after the marathon/1/2 marathon was chaos for anyone who had more than a 90min overall time. You had to fight you way past the slower runners. A real mess and this happened last year as well and still no change. The T shirt was very poor. Cotton T shirts with basic stickers which are falling off after a couple of days already. The finish area was too congested ”

“Ooredoo schmooredoo - No communication from organizers leading up to the event; no responses to emails nor bulk emails with information. Most people nearly trampled to receive poor quality shirt and medal following the race. Price for race well above similar races. Ooredoo is basically having runners pay for the prizes and marketing (i.e. Ooredoo does nothing including no effort in organization or creating a good event let alone a world class event). Running all races on short course limits all times and safety. :( !”

“The most expensive done the worst medal and shirt - The toilets were clean and plentiful. Now for the rest. The medals were all the same, whether you did 10km or 42km. In that regards, they were rendered worthless, just like a coin without an imprinted value. The shorts contained sticker transfers that are half hanging off. If it is lasts for 2 washes and wears I will be surprised. At the finish line there was a Gatorade, which was nice but I was desperate for something like a banana or snackbar. This is the first race I've ever done without.”

“Really good fun; terrible finish organisation - My brother (who was visiting Doha) and I really enjoyed this race - what a view! Parking was easy in the Souq and it was a pretty obvious route. Now the cons - what on earth was going on at the end? Absolute schoolboy organisation not funneling everyone to MIA park in order to collect their post-run medal etc in space. Absolutely the worst possible thing is to have people stand and queue for this from one tent - one tent!! Also not having a separate lane for marathon runners was amateurish.”

“event organization - - Terrible event co-ordination; - The route is most boring for half marathon and full marathon; - No lack of support on the route; - Lack of activation on the route; - The finish line was most terribly executed; - No marshals at the finish; - Not an ideal event for kids; Qatar has such beautiful roads now and landscape in and around west bay, katara, the pearl, lusail etc. Change the event management company The t-shirts were so poor doha college boxes were much better ”

“could be a bit better - A suggestion for the smallest ones, please next year, give the medals in the finish line, this is the exciting moment for a runner and too much for them how try so hard (they had collected to another place). the runner bag could be a pack, a small bag with the t-shirt, some fruit and not to go different stations to pick all the items it's quite dizzy. ”

“very poorly organised from all aspects ...... - very poorly organised from all aspects ......”

“it could be better - Most of my comments or suggestions have already been put in the comments from the other participants ”

“Improve event giveaways - MIA Park is very big, organisation can give the medals, t-shirt and other amenities further down the road that leads to car park, all roads were blocked for the event and at finish line all that mess and crowd gathering, with so many space 100 meters away. And the t-shirt quality ? what is this? Last year the t-shirt was 100 times better! It's the only big race event in Doha, there is a lot to improve.”

“Organisers don't learn from the past - Every year we hope the organisers read our reviews but it seems this is worthless but here we go again. Number collection - don't set expectation to receive your event merchandise on that day, say it will be handed out afterwords. Event Tshirt terrible quality (for the entry fee we pay). Medal handout, Tshirt handout, Bag Drop management was terrible. Waterpoints could be much better. ”

“Should have engraved the kilometers in the medals. - Should have engraved 21km, 42km, 10km in the medals that you distributed.”

“Getting worse every year - No big timer sign Fewer refreshments were served: Last year bananas were given Same boring route! Go towards the airport, at least there's variation in elevation there. You did it before. Your t-shirt giveaway is a big joke. Almost the same medal design and quality as last year's. ”

“Really well organised - It was all very well organised. A big improvement on the previous ones I've attended. It would be nice to have some countdown signage on the way to the finish line for a bit of added motivation. Otherwise, it was excellent. One thing that puts me off registering for this run is that we never hear how much money was raised and/or which charities were supported Thank you”

“Lots of improvement required....... - Start of 42km was ok but did not expect at beginning of 2nd lap to run into hundreds of other runners who had just started their 10km! A nightmare!Route was boring with 4 laps around Corniche and back, surely part of the loop around West bay to change it without disrupting traffic too much. Friday morning is the quietest morning and West bay with minimal traffic for a few hours once a year would be achievable. Finish area very disappointing, bystander had to inform me where to collect medal etc.”

“Medal & Refreshment stations very poor managed - The Event could do better n providing photos for individual participants by request. The receiving of medals and refreshments was very poorly managed. People were shoving and pushing. Instead of using the available stations for the various distance categories medals and refreshments were issued as though in a overloaded prison. 2018 was way better organised than 2019. Ooredoo can do better than this.”

“Please learn from past - I expected this year event organisation would improve, I guess that too much to expect. I've been participating in the event since inception. this year certificate says "Ooredoo Doha Marathon 2018" . How can this be acceptable, the template might have crossed several eyes, nobody observed this blunder. last year many complained about not getting right category and size T-Shirt, Ooredoo came with a clever idea and remove the category altogether, 1K or 42K doesn't matter. OQ please listen ”

“Great start to the race but a chaotic end - To collect the medal and t shirt was very chaotic. To collect my bag was also very chaotic as there weren't enough people to give people their bags back. I couldn't get a t shirt because everyone was pushing and shoving as there was no queuing system in place. There were not enough people to hand out meal packs either and I couldn't get that too.”

“Good family event. Music was too loud - 1. Well organised during the run 2. No comms/SMSs before event, had to depend on friends for bib collection details 3. Post event medal,t-shirt collection was not well organised”

“Ooredoo marketing team doesn't learn from the past - Collection of the race no (not race pack as stated) on Weds & Thursday at MIA was a great idea. Unfortunately, the finish was an absolute dog fight again this year. Somehow the organisers refuse to learn from past experiences. But then again why would they if the field keeps increasing every year. So Qatar runners the only way to make the organisers listen is not to enter this race next year...........................”

“A lot of room for improvement - Basic pre-event info is missing : parking / drop off bag (not even a sign in the starting area) Race itself : how come all distance runners are ending together ? 42 pace is not 21 pace is not 10 ! Dedicate a lane or change the route (see toward al bidda park) : runners are bumping in each other loose time and pace. Goodies very poor in term of quality (the shirt is a joke) and quantity. Where is the money collected through registration fees ? Water stations each 2.5k would be better.”

“DISSASTER AT FEEDBACK - I got an emergency two days before race and couldnt make it. At that time I tried to find some contact number, no casr. I've been sending emails since then and no response. If you only care about what parcticipants request please give this event another tematics no a runner. Dissapointed and upset”

“Nice event. - After finishing the race, getting the medal, t-shirt and snack was a disaster, there was no staff/volunteer guiding the finisher to at least fall in line. the booth distributing the t-shirt is too close to the finish line causing congestion in the area. and the t-shirt is not good for running It should not be cotton "come-on".”

“As if you care about the comments - Very bad course of the race because 10k runners obstructed the 21k/42k runner at the U turn. Medals were of bad quality and do not mention category. Ooredoo, I joined the race because there are few such events in Qatar, else I would not care to register considering my similar bad experiences. Why are you organizing an event only as a part of CSR (corporate social responsibility). All the runners were registered so how could they not receive medals (pathetic quality). No personalised photos!!!”

“Too much to improve - Route is ok and support station as well. Apart of that just 1 email received with very few informations. For example, in this email was mention the collect day, but didn’t say you can collect on race day. They also can have informations regarding to parking in race day. I average the organization was very weak, but unfortunaly is the only half marathon in Qatar so take it or leave it.”

“Good start - shame about the ending - Start of the event went well. Shame they could not do this for the ending. Made to Queue for a medal after running for hours. No staff to help when you needed help. ”

“best course in Doha, but spoiled by organization - I really love this course, it's beautiful, flat and fun. I'll continue to run every time I can... BUT, organization was lacking, especially after the race... We had more than 4.000 participants and only a small place to collect the shirt - which by the way - it was of questionable quality, it was not enough for everyone to collect their medals or shirt. Really packed, not organized for such a huge number of participants I love the race, but the organization has room to improve”

“needs improvement in collection medals, kits, etc. - Needs improvement”

“good - Better organization at the finish line is required, otherwise, it was a nice event. Also, 1K finishers received the same medals as the 42K finishers, it would be nice if each category had its own medal with the distance written on it like it was in 2017.”

“... - Medal is great but it should be identified according to distances.”

“Ooredoo Doha Marathon 2019 - The medal awards was very unorganized and the way we had to beg for medals was disrespectful, my son who ran 5 km did not get the medal as the support team told us the medals are over. I have seen volunteers and their friends who did not participate in the event as runners kept the medals for themselves. I would not say that as I saw it with my eyes. Very disappointed ”

“Still a pleasure, some improvement needed - Taking to the Ooredoo marathon is always a pleasure. The good point this year: the bib collection at the MIA, and not at Ooredoo building. The bad points this year: - the timing of 10K and 5K races 45 minutes after 21K and 42K, resulting in some jams during the race (slower people or even walking ones disturbing the other) - the medal and tee-shirt delivery was really messy (looked like the Stock Exchange) - no e-mail of personal results - the tee-shirt is of poor quality compared to last year.”

“It was an excellent event. - I am here in Qatar since 2006. This is the first time I am participating in this event. This event motivated me to keep myself fit and reduce some weight as result of the practice I have done for this. I have only only one thing to mention as the area of improvement. I tried to contact the organizers regarding the Bib collection. I am living far away from doha. So tried to ask I can collect my bib on the same day of event. But unfortunately no reply received for the query. Thank you very much”

“NO CERTIFICATE AS IT MENTIONED PREMIERONLINE WEB - I WAS NOT HAPPY WITH THE ROUTE AND YOUR WEB MENTIONED AFTER RACE WE WILL GET CERTIFICATE BUT NOTHING WAS THERE. I HAVE SEEN SOME DISCRIMINATING INCIDENT BY OOREDOO ARABIC STAFF. I HOPE WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN IN FUTURE.”

“Good - Very good arrangement”

“Good event but let down by key issues - Qatar has few such events hence I enter. But this year I have come away feeling cheated by Ooredoo. The event t shirt is a joke, quite obviously printed last minute and yet Ooredoo charge QAR 150 to enter. "We've got your money, so we'll give you something rubbish and you can't say anything". The other usual simple but painfully bad issues which show organization not by a competent person regarding a running race. 90degree corner immediately after start, no seeding or staggered start for large 10k”

“Well coordinated event - Well organised”

“Good for running event - Organiser coolection of kits not as per email. Marathon runner stuck with other event as starting point almost same time. Medal/Tee shirt collection light in market. ”

“Can be improved - Shirt quality is terrible. 2017 were very nice and very good quality. Finish line area is a big mess with too many people not involved in the race. Sas departure shall be considered.”

“A reasonably good event not to be missed in Qatar - Very good route”

“كانت تجربه رائعة - هذه مشاركي الأولى و لقد استمتعت بالحدث و التنظيم الرائع”

“Must be much bettter - ... in terms of communication (very poor information on official web site), organisation, popularisation... The worst thing is the race start at 6:30 am. ”

“They don't seem to learn from previous years - T-shirts should be handed out with the race pack as per the email. Advice to arrive 2 hours early was crazy on a cold morning! No attempt to start runners according to their expected pace causing congestion for the first km. Start for the 10k was at the turnaround time for HM/M runners with no attempt to segregate or filter in. Finish line medal / t-shirt collection crowded and chaotic. T-shirt quality is very poor, stickers already peeling off, is that the corporate image Ooredoo want? ”

“Great event for Doha including international parti - Organisational improvement - Tshirt quality, management of start and finish point, distribution of refreshment, photo session. ”

“a good race - But Too much congestion at the finish for tshirt and medals people were pushing did not even receive gatorade at the end not a single rubbish bin in sight on the route and at finish!!!! was forced to throw rubbish ON THE GROUND!!! please supply big rubbish bins next year”

“Beautiful scenic run - Absolutely awful finish area congested with a so called queue to get equally awful t-shirt. I started to panic a bit with the amount of people pushing to get their t-shirts. There’s a whole park, use it to spread out the distribution of t-shirts! Poor volunteers. Felt bad for them dealing with the crowds. Not a water bottle in sight after coming through the finish too. Disappointing! Start area needs to be bigger too. Spent too much time in the first km dodging other runners.”

“awarede tee shirt - I regret that the tee shirt reception was at end of raise and not in beginning as last year. generic tee shirt was not appreciated last year tee shirt from raise wasdistance was awarded for participant. all other point are good thanks for the organizer”

“Finish line organisation was extremely poor - I like the local social community event but especially the finish line organisation was very poor (handout of medals, tshirts, water). Also distribution of prize money and age groups seems pretty random.”

“Good run, scope for improvement - Run and arrangement was overall okay. Few things I would like to mention are - 1st I really had to struggle to get a bottle of water after the run, tho Gatorade was easy to find. 2nd event giveaway was hilarious esp the T-shirt that was distributed with event stickers all over a normal daily white tee. 3rd Distribution stalls were pretty jammed up and nobody cared you ran KMs to reach there - they were just distributing the medals and tee shirts (no goodiebags) like that.”

“Terrible organisation and poor route of the race - Terrible organization. Start and finish areas layout terrible, no organization to provide t-shirts (which are given after the race!) and medals. Almost impossible to get one. Route of the race very boring - Corniche back and forth and again and again. When you start for the 10K, you end up blocking the way of half and marathon runners that are in the process of commencing their second loop. No indication / communication on where to park. Organization not able to accomodate 4,000 runners. ”

“Disappointed - Event starts at 6:30 am. Went there at 5:30. Poor communication of parking spots. Had to pay for water etc. No sponsor tents for free beverage etc. No free sports bag. Event tshirts not given before the race. A tent was setup right near the finish to distribute the tshirts and free stuff at the end of race but a long queue and bottleneck formed there due to crowdcontrol barriers. No free pasta/beverages after race. Poor setup, poor layout, poor, post-race events. Not worth the entrance fee.”

“Finish area was catastrophic - I ran the marathon. At the finish line, no one was given medals or pointing where to get it. Finally, I found the place to get it, and the explanation was there were too many runners finished at one point. It such a lame excuse because it work in all other marathon around the world. Beside there was not many runners finished the marathon, so they could have gone back. So grotesquely unprofessional. Furthermore. All the bottle waste with energy drinks it most could be done more sustainable!”

“Fun event spoilt by lack of planning - Fun event however marred by poor Organization . Participants of later events were merged into runners in the earlier events causing congestion and assumedly frustration of 21/42km racers. Slower/later participants should be encouraged to “keep right/left” to allow faster participants to pass. T-shirt/medal collection process was poor with people crowding the tent and no management from officials standing around. Announcer advised to collect shirts at registration where no shirts were”

“5km marathon - It was an awesome experience. Thank you Premier”

“Terrible organisation at finish - Shocking organisation at the finish. No visible water station and to my knowledge, no water stations or water available, no signage to medals and massive crowd fighting through to get t-shirt and medals. No staff around to point people in right direction or to bring order. Very disappointing end to the race. And that t-shirt must be the worst quality t-shirt I have ever seen. ”

“Organisation - You can do much better ...”

“Really bad سيء جدا - Too bad. Really disappointed. Start line mess, poor pre-event advertisement, finish line queue, terrible T-shirt quality, breakfast box.. i mean practically everything. Seems like amateurs organized event. Thumbs down and shame Ooredoo.”

“Chaos at the end spoils a good event - Fun run and good way to start the year. Course is on, but a little dull compared to other marathons to be honest! More importantly, got to get better at organizing post-race. Poor placement of t-shirt stand caused chaos at the finish line and was no organization. Very poor quality t-shirt and generic medal. Runners had to take over bag station as it was hopeless. Very rude guy running it clearly not interested in sorting out bags, spent more time on his phone and arguing with runners. ”

“My first 10k - 1. We were asked to collect the items and tshirt was not available. Asked us to come early on day of marathon . Arrived early not tshort. At the end when i asked mybaize which was present in my applixation not available. Then why this whole drama 2. Medal do not mention about whih categiry is 3. ”

“Ok race but terrible organisation - The good - a friend picked up the race pack for me beforehand. I liked the food pack after the event. Things that need to be improved: Medal awards - the worst in any event I’ve been involved in. It was a human zoo. Medal should be different per event. T-shirt is the worst I’ve ever received for an event ”

“Worst Marathon event I Attended - You need to go to MIA days before the event just for the BIB number. No bananas during the run. After the you finish, you need to go to the booth to collect the medal and the tshirt, but staff told me no more tshirt (whaaattttt).When I signup you were asked with the tshirt size so I am expecting that tshirt was allocated for each runner with their preferred size. I saw my friend's tshirt, it very crappy. The free tshirt given in some charity run is way better than this event. Dissatisfied period”

“Worst finisher T shirts I ever had - Very ugly shirt for such a well known marathon. Cotton. Cheap GENERIC cotton shirts. It would not cost much to have categories printed on the shirt. Runners like me who joined their first half marathon (or those completing the 42km) will surely appreciate it. What's worse they ran out of shirts and snack boxes since they don't double check the person's bib numbers. No fruits at the refreshments area. Lining up to claim medals at the reception was the worst. Truly no respect for runners! ”

“perfect competition - تنظيم رائع على جميع المستويات من البداية حتى النهاية هل من الممكن اقامة المارثون كل ستة اشهر كل الشكر والتقدر ”

“The worst ooredoo marathon event I have joined - I have to say, this was the worst. 2016 was the best ooredoo run organized for my opinion. This was the 1st time I had to pick up the bib a day before the run which was too much of a hassle for me. WORST medal and shirt distribution. The worst thing to do after a very long run is to do a full stop which I had to do cause I needed to fall in such a long line. The guy’s bodies are pressing against the ladies’. Everybody’s pushing. SO BAD! Also such a crappy tshirt! ”

“Average organization - The masters mixed with amateurs...”

“Worth a day and awesome experience - Ecent coordination was extra ordinary ”

“Very expensive for such poorly organized event. - I have participated 3 times. Every year, it just gets worse and worse. It gives me the feeling that the race organizers do not have any experience at all in organizing a running event. - medals given are generic, i.e., same medals for all categories - cut-off time for 42k is too short at 04:30:00. how can runners be encouraged to join the race? - give away shirt is rubbish - support stations only have water and gatorade. No bananas / fruits offered along the course for long-distance runners -etc”

“Drastic improvement required to org & manage event - Most of event organisers staff pre and post race were unfriendly, they need to be more pleasant & less rude. No kit bag, T-Shirt poor quality. If possible, the route should be reviewed for lesser u-turns & one run start & finish.”

“Would love to attend next year - Pls. Distribute the shirt the same time you gave the marathon kit. It was chaotic to get the shirt. And for a female the pushing was severe. For the rest of the event it was a job well done. ”

“Baaaaaad - The quality of the shirt could not be worse. Cotton???? Just stamped the figurines with no design, respect whatsoever...next time hire my kids, they'll do a way better job. Now...I had to go to MIA just for the number? C'mon, don't waste my time. 4 o'clock and NO race-time yet. Worst ever. Dha Collegue was infinite times better. Shame”

“Terrible way of medal distribution - Not going to join this event again until you guys learn how to distribute medals & t shirts properly.”

“Good luck - Good luck, all the best, happy Friday, ARE THERE NOJOOM POINTS IN THIS RACE???? JUST LIKE THE PAST YEAR???????????The Medal was not a good quality compared to the big event,, THE EVENT STARTS SO SO SO EARLY, SO PLEASE FIND ANOTHER ROUTE TO MAKE AWAY FROM THE TRAFFIC IN THE CITY CENTRE AT 09:00 FOR EXAMPLE, Thanks”

“Need a lot of Improvements - Every runners who have finished the chosen course should get the same treatment like any others and should immediately give the medal once they reached the finish line, also the shirt really looks like cheap and its not the same as before i.e dri fit quality and you really notice that baggages staff are not organized at all, hope in future they will improve the same as before and now seems obvious that ooredoo is more concern of the profit rather than providing good quality like as before.”

“Ooredoo is discriminating older runners - Why only one prize for a maters runner? Why no veteran category? Why is Oreedoo discriminating older runners? Why in the awards ceremony did they only call out the runner's number? it would be appropriate to use the runner's name and their time. Very strange practice. This event could do with much improvement... as a sponsor Ooredoo should want to conduct a first class event... a world class event. The ooredoo marathon diminishes the value of the ooredoo brand. ”

“The idea of marathon is perfect and hope repeated - Really I enjoyed to be part of this event and i will do it again , but there are some points need for improving by next time 1- there is no phone contact number for inquiries 2- when i reached the counter in MIA for collections no one has any information for the event 3- distributing of madal and and T-shirt is bad Thanks see you next time ”

“Great course for running chaos for medals/tshirt - Great atmosphere before starting the race. Great course for running. After the event trying to collect medal and tshirt was a mess. Everybody was pushing and shoving and got stuck in the front once collecting the shirt and trying to get out almost fell over. Why can't the t-shirts be handed out with the race packs as per the email. And the medals why can't they be handed out as you finish the race. This could have stopped the unpleasant experience at the end. ”

“Not organized - Organizer was too bad that they can't even facilitate where the runners go, i felt so bad. And its confusing for the runner where to finish when ur 21k runner... very bad. ”

“T Shirt?? 2018 medal! - Great course. T-shirt quality poor. Medal poor and I never received a medal for my 2018 marathon even though they assured me they would sent it. Collection staff on Thursday evening not very friendly.”

“Nice organization - Need to better organize Medal and T-shirt distribution , I would like to know my timing and results.”

“Different year, Same Chaos!!! - How is it that the organizers are still not able to get things right after 6 years of running this event??? The bib collection, run course, aid stations and general setup was good, but as usual the finish line, medal, t-shirt collection and timing system, were a shambles! You boast about giving massive prize monies to the professionals... the the least you could do is give the rest of us a pleasant experience after the efforts that we put in. 'Qatar deserves the best'... This was not it Ooredoo.”

“Great location and surface, well organised - Beautiful location. All roads were blocked off and no traffic was in the way. The medal and t-shirt handouts need to be better organised. Everybody was pushing in and no concerns were taken.”

“Disappointed - I ran 21km and i did not feel my achievement as I have to go to a booth and go to another line just to collect my medal. The next thing is the cotton shirt. It is suppose to be used for the next training until the next marathon but i dont think that a cotton fabric is up for that task. Lastly is the food pack. You have to look for it yourself because it seems the people crom the shirt s doesnt know where it was. And why no banana this time? It is an essential nutrient for runners. ”

“Horrible Post-Race Scenario - Everything was pleasant and smooth from the collection of pre-race packs to reminders, parking, support, warmup, and even the course itself. UNTIL THE DISTRIBUTION OF SHIRTS AND MEDALS. It's not really clear where to go and everyone is getting squashed. Hopefully, next time, the organizers foresee the smooth way of distribution post-race packs.”

“Overall, well organized. - The experience was amazing but the t-shirts should have been distributed when with the bib as stated in the email as I received a smaller sized t-shirt then the one I registered for online. I look forward to next years event. ”

“فعالية جميلة جدا،، نأمل بتحسين تسليم الهدايا. - كل شي بدا مثاليا ما عدى تسليم الميدليات و القمصان،، كان فوضويا جدا وازعج المتسابقين،، نتمنى ان تحل المشكلة فى السنة القادمة،، شكرا اوريدو”

“Amateurish organisation - Luggage collection and medal collection a shambles. Bring professionals next year please.”

“Good, but an unpleasant finish - Everything went smoothly until the end. Distribution of tshirts and medals was extremely unpleasant, no proper system... just a massive chaotic mess. Some people received their medals at the finish line, others were left looking for their medals. There were no volunteers at the finish line to guide people through the process ie where to collect the medals. The quality of the shirts is very poor. Also, the medals do not specify the length of run. Other than this I was happy with the race.”

“Felt in very good hands during the event - Excellent course, well laid out and marshalled. Distances spot on but very little signage. Good hydration stations. Post event disappointing. No photo. Messy queues for medals with no clear signs. Finished half marathon in 2 hours but T-shirts already run out, which means hardly any full marathoners will get a T. No obvious timing display so relied on own device. Racemap app not working when I finished (bad connection to Edge). Not even clear what the app actually does (timing?). ”

“T-shirt and medal distribution was horrible - The organization of the t-shirt and medal distribution was horrendous. People were pushing in from all sides and many were getting pinned and not even able to move. There were even fights breaking out over getting the t-shirts. There should have been a better queue organized, or we could have gotten the shirts when we collected the race packet.”

“Distribution of T-shirts after the event was bad - Distribution of T-shirts after the event was not a good idea . However, after a long argument with organizers, they agreed to give me the t-shirt before the event. ”

“Poor communication - While the event is enjoyable I do think a lot more could be done in the way of pre-race communication. I did the 5km, if I had known that the start time was only 7:30 I would not have arrived so early. Post race is chaotic. Although all details are in the registration it is still a “free for all” to collect medals and T-shirt’s. There is no control and no process. Just as the pre event pack is handed out so should the post event pack be handed out. Where do I get my official time from?”

“Superb event . Njoyed it - My second event and I did 10k . Thanks ooredoo.”

“Great event!! - Well managed event. ”

“Distribution Part - The timing is ok. Same scenario from the previous race, distribution of medals, foods and tshirts are totally chaos, it should be in one place. Some participants are pushing others just to get the medals. Nothing change from the previous till now. Comment is useless cause nothing changes.”

“Good event - I will participate next year ”