Dubai Mallathon will run annually from June to September starting 2026, following its Guinness World Record-breaking debut in 2025.
DUBAI: Lace up those sneakers — the Dubai Mallathon is here to stay and grow bigger. Under the directives of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, the community fitness initiative will become an annual three-month event beginning in 2026, running from 15 June to 15 September across multiple malls in the city.
The announcement comes after the roaring success of the inaugural edition, which attracted more than 40,000 participants over a month and set a Guinness World Record for the largest number of runners in a mall run event. The record was achieved at Dubai Hills Mall, where 1,392 participants of all ages and nationalities competed in a single race.
Sheikh Hamdan praised the Mallathon’s achievements, highlighting Dubai’s growing reputation as a global hub for innovative community sports. “Sports in Dubai has evolved into a common language, a way of life, and a powerful form of self-expression,” he said, adding that the Mallathon will now expand its reach to encourage wider participation and lasting community impact.
The closing week of the 2025 edition featured a 42-kilometre marathon, a special race for women on Emirati Women’s Day, and logged more than 120 million steps on indoor tracks across nine shopping centres, including The Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates, and Dubai Festival City Mall.
Organised in partnership with the Dubai Sports Council and sponsored by the Ministry of Defence, the initiative aligns with the Year of Community, the Dubai Social Agenda 33, and the Dubai Quality of Life Strategy 2033. Its aim: to make sport a daily habit while building a healthier, more connected society.
