Every marathon & endurance option in Dubai we've verified against a public source.
Begin a structured 16–20 week block by September–October for the January race. Build your easy-run base over summer (treadmill or pre-dawn) so you start the block with 25–30km weekly volume.
Online coaching with weekly plan adjustments costs AED 400–900 monthly; in-person track and long-run coaching AED 250–400 per session. Many runners combine both.
October–March long runs are comfortable at dawn. In warmer months: start 5am, loop past water points, take 500–750ml fluids with electrolytes hourly, and slow 30–90 seconds per km. Heat adaptation takes two weeks.
First-timers can finish on a peak of 45–55km weekly; for a strong time, 60–80km. Three quality sessions (long run, tempo, intervals) plus easy runs is the standard Dubai structure.
Dubai Marathon (January), RAK Half (February, world's fastest half), ADNOC Abu Dhabi Marathon (December) and frequent 5–10km community races through winter for tune-ups.