AlUla Desert Blaze has returned to Saudi Arabia’s ancient oasis city, featuring more than 500 runners from across the globe.
This year’s edition, which kicked off on August 15, 2025, brings new challenges against the fascinating desert landscape of AlUla. The participating runners compete across four categories in the Kingdom’s most extreme race, which tests their endurance under the scorching heat of summer.
Over two days, runners of different skill levels participate in thrilling competitions across four distances: 5 KM, 10 KM, Half Marathon (21 KM), and Full Marathon (42 KM).
The exciting race’s tracks run through AlUla’s captivating landmarks, such as the historic city of Hegra, the iconic Maraya building, marvelous rocky formations, sand dunes and green oases.
Upon their arrival to AlUla, competitors received a briefing on the race procedures and technical instructions, in addition to race kits and supplies, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
بكذا يكون انتهى يوم توزيع حقيبة سباق #لهيب_العلا 🔥، بكل حماس و شغف ننتظركم على خط البداية في اليوم الكبير، يوم السباق و حصد الإنجازات 🏅
And that’s a wrap for #AlUlaDesertBlaze Blaze race kit collection day 🔥 We can’t wait to see you at the start line for the big day 🏅 pic.twitter.com/HcVhuGXkQN
— Race Arabia (@RaceArabia) August 15, 2025
AlUla Desert Blaze is one of AlUla Moments’ events, which includes various sports and cultural events that aim to highlight AlUla’s historical and cultural heritage, as well as its charming natural beauty, further consolidating its status as a major hub for racing events and adventure sport.
AlUla’s unique terrain, featuring rugged mountains and vast deserts, has made it a perfect host for several racing events, such as AlUla Trail Race, AlFursan Endurance AlUla, and Arabian Warrior AlUla.
