The Dead2Red Cycling Race is 200km long from the Dead Sea to the Ayla Resort Oasis on the Red Sea. Cyclists have 10 hours to complete the distance, in teams of 3 or 5 or as solo cyclists.

D2R Relay Running Race Categories: Solo, Freestyle Team of 5, Freestyle Team of 10, School Freestyle Team of 10, Semi-Marathon Team of 5, Semi-Marathon Team of 10, Marathon Team of 5.

D2R Cycle Race Categories: Solo, Team of 3, Team of 5; each of which are divided further into Elite, Road Bicycle and Open Bicycle Categories.

It depends on how competitive you want to be! If you want to beat a record or would like to be on the podium, then it helps to have faster runners/cyclists on your team. However, the beauty of the race is that it is open to athletes of all abilities. The D2R is a prime opportunity for team building, achieving a goal with your friend group, using it as a fund raiser for an NGO, or even an excuse to get to Aqaba!

The Team Leader is the one who takes more responsibility for the Team, regardless of being an active participant. He or She will be expected to attend the Team Leaders’ Meeting usually scheduled for a week before the Race where information is distributed, last minute fees and waivers are collected, and Race Bags are distributed. We will communicate to the team through the Team Leaders’ email and we will require their contact number for our WhatsApp group used during the Race. He or She may also be the one who arranges for the support vehicles, decides the order of runners/cyclists, distributes other responsibilities to the Team Members and is generally the “Go-To” person for the team.

The order of runners is required for all Semi-Marathon and Marathon Teams. Any deviation of the order of runners must be reported to a Marshal. For Freestyle Running Teams and any Relay Cycling Teams, no order is required.

There are different types of injuries! Any serious injury, the onset of an illness (such as the flu), or any other occurrence that requires immediate medical attention should be reported to the Marshals and the accompanying Civil Defense Authorities. A blister, sore muscles, a hangnail, or chapped lips can probably be dealt with among the Team Members. We recommend all teams have a small First Aid kit in each vehicle.

If for some reason a member decides not to run/cycle their leg, the rest of the Team must make up that distance. It may mean completing the race with fewer participants. However, your team cannot change your Race Category mid-race.

The Race is along a major highway, so as long as you don’t go off-road, you cannot get lost! The entry into the city of Aqaba and the Finish Line are marked with signs and arrows. We have Marshals posted at turns near the Finish. We also provide printed maps of the entry into Aqaba.

“Mandatory Runner Checkpoints” are marked with a Marshal and strobe lights along the route. These are also considered “Safe Places” where runners can be dropped off or teams can have a snooze, or any issue requiring a Marshal’s attention can be addressed.

Change-over locations for the Semi-Marathon and Marathon Categories are marked with spray painted numbers on the road.

The D2R Relay Running Race is a 24-hour race, which means that yes, your team will run at night. We provide highly reflective safety vests to each team member (including Drivers and Supporters) and require them to be worn from sun down to sun up. We encourage the use of headlights for runners and highly recommend that a support vehicle drive behind the runner during the night.

The D2R Cycling Race is a 10-hour race that takes place during daylight hours.

We recommend that all provisions are packed in the vehicles before you start the race because we cannot guarantee that any shops will be open when you are running low on supplies. We have noticed that lately, some shops/coffee kiosks have remained open during our race, but do not count on this!

You will find bathrooms at the Start Line. We do not provide bathrooms along the way. You might find bathrooms at some gas stations, but again, we cannot guarantee that they will be open, what state they will be in, if they have paper products or soap, etc. Therefore, please bring along your own wet wipes, hygiene gel and paper products. The phrase, “nature calls” is your mantra as the entire desert is available to you!

There are creative ways that people who require some modesty have devised over the years, such as: asking a team mate to hold a sheet/towel around you, cutting the bottom out of a pup-tent, using any of the devices available on camping websites.

Each Team should arrange for and provide their own support vehicle(s).

The D2R Relay Running Race has an iconic Start Line near the Wadi Mujib Bridge. The D2R Cycling Race has a Start Line near the Arab Potash Company Factory.

We provide a pin location for the Start Line for each Race via Social Media and the WhatsApp Team Leaders’ Group, as well as it being indicated on the Race Elevation Map.

The Team should arrive together or at least agree to meet up at the Start Line approximately two hours before the Starting Time. There will be a Final Check-in procedure that the entire Team must be present for (including Drivers and Supporters) in order to be considered registered for the Race. The D2R Relay Running Race starts at 4pm (4:15 for School Teams) in the afternoon, so teams should arrive by 2pm. The D2R Cycling Race starts at 6am (6:15 for Teams) so teams should arrive by 4am.

We do not recommend running or cycling with headphones or earphones. Being aware of your surroundings and being able to hear the oncoming traffic is part of your safety during the Race.

We do not enforce cut-off times along the Race route. Teams who are lagging behind may receive guidance from Marshals as to how to change their approach to the Race in order to finish within the time limit.

Often times, we have special offers from our sponsoring hotel, the Movenpick Aqaba City. On the off-chance that they are unable to accommodate us, we will try to obtain offers from the Movenpick Tala Bay, or other hotels in the area. You are free to make your own overnight arrangements at the many hotels in Aqaba, at many different price points.

We’re so glad you asked! We are always looking for experienced participants to help Marshal the Race. Many times, runners will Marshal the Cycle Race and Cyclists will Marshal the Running Race, or vice versa!  We always welcome first-time Marshals, too. We offer a competitive Marshal Package to those who volunteer during our Race. We ask that you provide your own vehicle and “car-buddy,” but we can also provide a companion for you. We find that people who join us for one Race often times come back every year and many will Marshal for both Races.