PACERTRIP CITY EDITIONMV / RACE GUIDE

Dhiraagu Maldives Road Race

The city you want to run becomes your next trip.

Hulhumalé
MV

Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada · CC BY-SA 2.0Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0Saaremees, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia CommonsZairon, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Race date in 41 days: Nov 20, 2026 Fri
City · Distance: Hulhumalé · 21.1km
Entry fee: MVR 400From the 2025 edition
Status: OpenSee how to enter ↗

Official website ↗D-day as of Oct 10, 2026

About the race Runner stories How to enter Course Race Prep Travel

Why you dream of this race

THE DREAM

ABOUT THE RACE

A day you'll remember,
long past the finish line.

The Dhiraagu Maldives Road Race is the Maldives’ largest event and the country’s only international long-distance race recognised as a full member of the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS).

First held in 2007, it was the first international running event staged in the Maldives.

The national telecommunications company Dhiraagu has since served as title sponsor.

The event moved in 2016 from the capital, Malé, to nearby Hulhumalé, an artificial island.

Hulhumalé is a new city built on a lagoon near Malé and is connected to Malé and the airport island of Hulhulé by the Sinamalé Bridge.

The programme includes individual half marathon, 10K and 5K races, plus a 5K team race for offices and resorts.

The road to your own record

Picture the course in advance
and find the pace that fits you.

When the city cheers

Streets lined with cheers, runners all around.
You'll be part of that scene.

The trip that follows the run

Take it slow with the finish still in you,
and meet the city all over again.

Stories from runners who've been there.

From the joy of finishing to the tough moments — read what runners wrote themselves.

Race reports: 1

Mohamed ShameemRan in 2013

“I participated in my first 5K race at the Dhiraagu Road Race, and the excitement of crossing the finish line fueled my passion even more.”

Mohamed Shamim finished his first 5km race at the 2013 Dhiraagu Maldives Road Race, deepening his passion for running. The experience led him to train with a coach and later tackle longer races.

Read the original on When you read an article, you get better.

We translated a short line from each public race report and summarized the experience. Finish times are as stated by the author, and past editions may differ from this year's weather and operations.

See it on video,
feel it through their stories.

Preview the course and read what runners who went before you wrote.

Island Runs 🔴 Maldives’ Biggest Marathon 🌴 | Dhiraagu Maldives Road Race 2025 🇲🇻 #dmrr2025

Tube Eye Traveller

View on YouTube

This may be from a past edition. Check the organizer for this year's course and operations.

The way in that fits you

YOUR ENTRY

How to reach the start line —
start with what fits you.

Here are the ways to enter and what each requires.
Check the organizer's page for whether entries are open.

From the 2025 edition

We'll fill this in once the official entry rules are out.

Official race website Entry options

From the start line to the finish

RACE WEEK

Your 21.1km

Know the course and time limit, and race day comes into focus.

not the start line

We have not confirmed the start line coordinates yet.

START

Central Park

Start · Google Maps

Both the start and finish are at Hulhumale Central Park.

The 5K is one lap and the 10K is two laps of a looped course, while half marathon repeats the same loop four times.

Course follows the wide roads and waterfront promenade of planned Hulhumale, with aid station placed every 1km.

Hulhumale is a reclaimed artificial island in the lagoon east of Malé.

Its flat terrain and broad roads create a very different racing environment from the narrow, winding streets of the old city of Malé.

Field size: 4,000 runners
Typical race-season temperature: around 27°C (81°F): Hot race — plan fluids and electrolytes

Participant benefits

Timing chip

Finisher medal

Event T-shirt

Finisher certificate

To the start line,
step by step.

Pick up your bib, check your wave.
So on race morning, you can just run.

From the 2025 edition

Pick up your bib at the expo

You must present your ID and bib number together at pickup.
The race venue is Hulhumale Central Park, but pickup is in central Malé, so travel is required.
Whether authorized or race-day pickup will be available has not been confirmed.
Based on the 2025 edition — 10/19 (Sun) 14:00–18:00 and 20:00–22:00; 10/20 (Mon)–10/22 (Wed) 09:00–12:00, 14:00–18:00, and 20:00–22:00

DMRR Bib Expo Centre, 1st floor, Dhiraagu Headquarters, Ameenee Magu, Malé City

Google Maps

The kit includes a chip-timed bib · T-shirt · drawstring bag · and four safety pins

Stations & transport near the venue

Getting to the startCentral Park, Hulhumalé, Maldives
Transit cardTap a foreign-issued contactless Visa/Mastercard directly on the RTL bus validator when boarding the Hulhumalé-Malé bus — no local card needed. Where to buy
Getting to the finishCentral Park, Hulhumalé

Source · checked Aug 22, 2026 · Source · checked Aug 17, 2026

More details

Getting to the start

Central Park, Hulhumalé, Maldives

Start/finish is the same location for all distances (5K/10K/Half), with different loop counts per distance.

Map

Getting to the finish

Central Park, Hulhumalé

Finish co-located with the start at Central Park.

Map

Start shuttle

Hulhumalé is connected to Malé/the airport island by the Sinamalé (China-Maldives Friendship) Bridge carrying buses and taxis — no ferry needed from the airport. From Velana International Airport: taxi ~11 min (~$13-17); MTCC public buses also cross the bridge (e.g.

Route 4, ~MVR 20/~$1.30, ~20 min); a public ferry from Malé City to Hulhumalé Ferry Terminal is also an option (~10 min, MVR 15-20). Given a likely pre-dawn start, foreign runners should plan taxi/private transfer since bus/ferry frequency may be limited at that hour (not explicitly confirmed).

Transit card

Dathuru Card (MTCC) — a prepaid card option also exists, though no longer necessary for tap-to-pay

MTCC counters and authorized third-party outlets in Hulhumalé/Malé (approx. MVR 20 for the card itself)

Works directly at the gates Hulhumalé is small and walkable, so transit needs are mainly the short bus/taxi link to Malé and the airport.

Local minibus fares run roughly MVR 7-10 one-way. Since 2023-2024, MTCC/RTL rolled out an open-loop contactless system (with Bank of Maldives/Mastercard) letting any foreign-issued contactless Visa or Mastercard tap directly on the validator.

Cash is also accepted but drivers give no change.

Where to buy

Source · checked Aug 22, 2026 Source · checked Aug 17, 2026

READY TO RUN

From race morning to after the finish.

Your start time, fuel and bag drop.
Know them ahead and the run feels easier.

November is the transition from the southwest monsoon to the northeast monsoon.

Rain from the wet season eases and clearer days become more common.

Daytime highs are around 30°C, while nighttime temperatures rarely fall below 25°C.

Humidity remains high, so the heat can feel significant even with an early-morning start.

Course uses mostly flat, wide roads on the artificial island of Hulhumale,

minimising the demands of climbing and descending, but the humid tropical air can affect performance.

Hulhumale is next to Velana International Airport on Hulhule and connected to Malé by the Sinamalé Bridge,

making the race venue relatively easy to reach from the airport.

Times are local to Hulhumalé. Check the latest official information before the race.

A trip built around the race

STAY A LITTLE

MAKE IT A RUNTRIP

The race is one day,
the trip can be longer.

From a hotel that makes race morning easy,
to the meals and views you'll enjoy with the medal on.

Paralian Hulhumale'

Hotel · 473m

8.1/10(616)

View on Booking.com

Malé｜Private Airport Pickup/Drop-off Service at Velana International Airport

₩1,043,525

View on Klook

6-Course Maldivian Food Experience in Malé/Hulhumalé

₩124,877

View on Klook

Maldives: Malé City Highlights Tour with a Local Guide by Vehicle

₩67,933

View on GetYourGuide

Luxurious 3-Bedroom in Hulhumalé

Accommodation · 354m

9.8/10(29)

View on Booking.com

Dolphin Snorkeling & Sandbar Safari

₩2,051,855

View on GetYourGuide

Malé: Guided City Tour

₩49,910

View on GetYourGuide

Accommodation · 405m

6.1/10(14)

View on Booking.com

Sifco Hiyaa A

Accommodation · 391m

5.3/10(15)

View on Booking.com

Swipe sideways to see more hotels.

Closest to the start lineView on Trip.com

Time for you, before and after the finish

TRAVEL ESSENTIALS

Trip prep too,
light and in one place.

Checklist Local eSIM · Trip.com Flight delay or cancellation compensation · AirHelp Pace calculator

Once saved, you can open this page without an internet connection

RUN TOGETHER

With runners who dream of
the same start line.

Be the first runner
Leave this room's first post

Hulhumalé runners' room

FAQ

When does Dhiraagu Maldives Road Race 2026 take place?

It takes place on Fri, November 20, 2026 in Hulhumalé, Maldives.

What distances does Dhiraagu Maldives Road Race 2026 offer?

Half.

Where does Dhiraagu Maldives Road Race 2026 start?

Hulhumalé Central Park, Hulhumalé.

What transit card do I need for Dhiraagu Maldives Road Race 2026?

Tap a foreign-issued contactless Visa/Mastercard directly on the RTL bus validator when boarding the Hulhumalé-Malé bus — no local card needed.

(From the 2025 edition)

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Dhiraagu Maldives Road Race

About Dhiraagu Maldives Road Race — what makes it special

A day you'll remember,long past the finish line.

The road to your own record

When the city cheers

The trip that follows the run