Hatta at 06:00, planned from Dubai.
Ultra Trail Dubai runs from 27 to 29 November 2026 in Hatta, and every race starts at Hatta Wadi Hub, about 85 to 105 minutes from the main hotel areas. The earliest start is 06:00. If you bring a running club, a relay team or a family of supporters, the real question is the drive in the dark. Here is what the organiser publishes, what it does not, and how a booked vehicle fits.
What the organiser says
The organiser lists the second Ultra Trail Dubai for 27 to 29 November 2026 in Hatta, with five distances from 5 km to 100 km, a team night relay and a 1 km mini trail for children. Visit Dubai lists the same dates under outdoor fitness. The Dubai Sports Council is named as a supporter, and Hatta Wadi Hub is a partner. We are not the organiser’s transport provider and not a partner of the event.
Dates can move. The organiser’s own home page says last year’s edition was shifted to 5 to 7 December 2025 after guidance from the Dubai Sports Council. So check ultratraildubai.com before you book anything, and we adjust a quote if the dates change. The organiser’s notices come first if they differ from ours.
Planning this trip? Tell us the date and group size for a fixed price.
Get a quoteStart times, race by race
These are the organiser’s published start times. The routes page says routes are subject to change and that route files go out the week before the event.
| Race | Day | Start at Hatta Wadi Hub | Cut-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| UTD100 (100 km) | Saturday 28 November | 06:00 | 26 hours |
| UTD50 (50 km) | Saturday 28 November | 07:00 | 14 hours |
| UTD5 (5 km) | Saturday 28 November | 09:00 | 2 hours |
| Night Relay (teams of 3 to 5, 5 km loop) | Saturday 28 to Sunday 29 November | 17:00 to 05:00 | 12 hours |
| UTD30 (30 km) | Sunday 29 November | 06:00 | 8 hours |
| UTD15 (15 km) | Sunday 29 November | 08:00 | 4 hours |
| Mini Trail (1 km, children) | Sunday 29 November | 09:00 | None listed |
By simple arithmetic, a 26-hour cut-off from a 06:00 start runs to 08:00 on Sunday, so a family with a 100 km runner has two long days to plan.
Rules that matter if you are travelling as a crew
The rules page sets a minimum age of 16 for the 15 km and 20 for the 30 km, 50 km and 100 km. It allows no pacers. A support crew may help a runner only within 100 metres of an aid station, and help outside that zone costs the runner a 30-minute penalty. The 100 m rule is the main thing a supporter group needs to know, because it decides where your group can usefully be.
The organiser offers free supervised bag storage on the race day, at a bag service area. Runners in the 100 km can also hand in a drop bag at registration for transport to an aid station. The race is cupless, so each runner carries a cup.
How far it is, and what the organiser says
The organiser says Hatta is only 1.5 hours from Dubai. Our figures come from OpenStreetMap routing with no traffic, to the Wadi Hub point on the map, so they are approximate.
| From | Distance (modelled) | Drive time (modelled, no traffic) |
|---|---|---|
| Deira | About 107 km | About 84 minutes |
| Downtown Dubai | About 110 km | About 85 minutes |
| Business Bay | About 111 km | About 86 minutes |
| Dubai Airport (DXB) | About 109 km | About 97 minutes |
| JBR | About 127 km | About 101 minutes |
| Al Maktoum Airport (DWC) | About 119 km | About 103 minutes |
| Dubai Marina | About 127 km | About 104 minutes |
| Palm Jumeirah | About 132 km | About 107 minutes |
The organiser’s 1.5 hours sits in the middle of our range. For a start time you cannot miss, plan on the longer figure for your hotel area.
What is not published
When we checked on 31 October 2026, we could not find the race-pack collection time and place, any parking or shuttle plan at Hatta Wadi Hub for 2026, the layout of the finish area, or any road notice for the Hatta road.
The organiser’s updates page lists a post about shuttles and one about the event schedule, both dated November 2025 and so about last year’s edition. It also lists a post on where to stay in Hatta for 2026, dated 3 August 2026. We do not repeat anything from last year, and the 2026 versions are the ones to look for.
Because no drop-off point is published, we agree one with you once the organiser names it, and we cannot promise a stop at any aid station or at the start line. The race is the organiser’s to run, and any vehicle stays outside it.
Planning the day
Work backwards from the start. For example, a group staying in Downtown Dubai with a runner in the 06:00 UTD100 start. At about 85 minutes modelled, plus time to park, hand in a bag and walk to the start, the vehicle might leave the hotel at about 03:30. That gives roughly an hour of margin on arrival. Your own start time, hotel and group size will change the sum.
The return is harder than the outward leg, because runners finish at different times. Agree one pick-up time with the whole group in writing, or agree a window, and tell us the cut-off of the race you entered.
A night in Hatta takes the pre-dawn drive out of the plan. For non-runners with a day to fill, our Hatta Wadi Hub day trip page covers the hub itself, and the Dubai Marathon guide shows another running weekend. The night relay ends at 05:00 on Sunday, so agree that early return in writing too. For flights, see night and early morning flight transfers.
Choosing the vehicle
Count runners, supporters and bags. Our guide figures:
- Mercedes V-Class: up to 7 passengers and 6 bags.
- 13-seater HiAce: up to 13 passengers and about 10 suitcases.
- Mercedes Sprinter: up to 16 passengers and up to 12 suitcases.
- 30-seater mini coach and 50-seater coach for a club or a tour party.
Our sports team transport guide and the coach rental in Dubai page show how larger groups are planned.
How a booked vehicle fits
- Send the plan. Race day, the races you entered, hotel area, party size and bags.
- Ask for a fixed written quote. Nothing is charged until you confirm.
- Read the pick-up and drop-off arrangement. The quote states it, and we update it when the organiser publishes its notices.
- Agree the return time. We plan the margin and tell you what is not yet published.
- Tell us if plans change. We adjust where we can, and cannot promise to beat traffic.
Keep reading
- DSF Hatta Wadi Hub day trip: The Dubai Shopping Festival adds a Hatta Wadi Hub programme. What is confirmed, what is not, how far it is, and how a group gets there and back in one day.
- Dubai to Hatta: Kayaks at the dam, the Heritage Village and the mountain road, with a chauffeur who waits all day.
- HYROX Dubai 2026 transport: HYROX Dubai, 27 and 28 November 2026, at the Dubai Exhibition Centre: the provisional schedule, the check-in rules and how a group of athletes or supporters plans the days.
- Dubai Safari Park group day: A group day at Dubai Safari Park: Season 8 hours and last entry, where the park is on Hatta Road, and how long the drive takes from the main hotel areas.
- Dubai Shopping Festival 2026/27 group plan: Dubai Shopping Festival runs 4 December 2026 to 17 January 2027. What is confirmed so far, what is not, and how a group can plan around it.
- Abu Dhabi GP race day return to Dubai: The drive from Yas Marina Circuit back to Dubai on race night: what is published for the exit, last year’s precedent, approximate times and a meeting plan for a group.
Frequently asked.
Quick answers for this trip.
When is Ultra Trail Dubai 2026?
The organiser lists 27 to 29 November 2026 in Hatta. Dates moved last year, so check ultratraildubai.com before you book transport. If the dates change, we adjust the quote.
Where do the races start?
Every route starts at Hatta Wadi Hub, according to the organiser. The earliest starts are 06:00 on Saturday 28 November for the 100 km and 06:00 on Sunday 29 November for the 30 km.
How long is the drive from Dubai?
The organiser says about 1.5 hours. Our routing model with no traffic gives 84 minutes from Deira, 85 from Downtown Dubai, 97 from Dubai Airport and 104 from Dubai Marina. Plan on the longer figure and add margin for a pre-dawn start.
When should we leave for a 06:00 start?
Work backwards from the start. As an example, a Downtown group might leave at about 03:30 to allow the drive, parking and a bag drop. The organiser does not publish a check-in or race-pack time, so ask it, then ask us to plan the departure.
Can supporters help runners on the course?
Only within 100 metres of an aid station, according to the rules page. Help outside that zone gives the runner a 30-minute penalty. Read the full rules on the organiser’s site.
Is there a shuttle or parking at Hatta Wadi Hub?
We could not find a 2026 plan for either when we checked on 31 October 2026. The organiser’s updates page lists a shuttle post from 2025, so look for a 2026 version, and we agree a drop-off point once one is published.
Can you wait at an aid station for our runner?
No. We cannot promise a stop at any aid station, and the rules limit crews to 100 metres around them. We plan the pick-up at the hub and agree the time with you.
How do I get a price?
Ask for a fixed written quote through the booking form with the race day, hotel area, party size and bags. Nothing is charged until you confirm.
To the trail start, one planned morning.
Two questions now, a fixed price in your inbox shortly after.