My 7 Running Routes in Qatar

Whether you like walking, jogging or running, Doha won’t disappoint you with the abundant running lanes they built for everyone to use! They have just been sitting there waiting for us to choose to live a healthy life 😛 I usually run after work and on weekends and I’m so happy it only takes a good 10-minute walk to my favorite park from my house ♥ If you’re unsure where to run later or on Friday, here’s a lit of my top picks (click the names for the map):

1. Al Bidda Park

It’s my favorite park ever. Aside from it being 10 minutes away from my house, the view of the city center while running makes you lose track of time. It’s surrounded by greens as well. I haven’t been there but seeing it in the movies make me think it’s similar to central park. It has just been open for the public last February and it has different running lanes with different distances. If you’re on for a challenge some parts of the lane are hilly! And if you just want to take out your family to picnic, it’s a perfect place for that too. ☺

I wish we could all run like Phoebe.

2. MIA Park

MIA or Museum of Islamic Arts was designed by the world-renowned architect I.M. Pei. The Park is known to hold different events like last month, the International Women’s Month Fun Run was held in MIA Park and I know that photo on the right looks familiar, the QRS Winter Edition Race 5 happened there as well. You can even find food festivals on weekends here. Although there is no running track similar to what you can find in Al Bidda or Aspire Zone, the place is inviting to runners because of the concrete path (if you’re not much of a fan of rubberized tracks) and the spectacular view of the city center. Depending on your distance target, if you start from the stairs near the Museum up to the ‘7’ Sculpture, the tower at the end and back to the stairs, passing by the coffee shops  is more or less a 2.7km.

3. Corniche

Corniche is the running-route to-be! You can start from either points but the distance from MIA to Sheraton Park is 5 km, with distance guides on the path. It’s convenient if you live in the city as you can start from anywhere. There is a view of the city center, or structures on Souq Waqif’s side. It’s safe and a lot of people go there to exercise too. You can lose track of time by people watching by running.

4. Al Arabi Sports Club

This was my go-to running place when I was still living in Mansoura. I used to spend 10QR on karwa to get there from my house until I realized I can warm up my legs and walk up to the oval lol. The oval is 400-m. If you want to go around a shorter distance than having to run forward for 5km then Al Arabi is perfect for you.

When I was still paddling with my dragon boat team, this is where we conduct our land training for strength and HIIT routines.

I still go here when I run past 6 in the evening.

5. Aspire Park Running Track

You can either choose to follow the track or not, it depends on your preference. If you like rubberized running track better, one round is almost (not exactly) 3km. But if you want to take the concrete path, you can follow the distance covered using your running watch. The track is challenging too as there are parts where it’s uphill. It’s safe! And you could eat your recovery meal in Villagio afterwards LOL.

6. Losail Circuit

Who says Losail Circuit is only for cyclists or riders? Runners are welcome here too! You can check Losail Circuit Facebook or @losailcircuit to see the schedule. The track’s distance is 5.38km so imagine, just one round and ta-da you complete your 5km program. ☺ So far the schedule has not changed, open day for everyone is every Wednesday from 5:00 – 8:30 pm.

7. You don’t need a track to run

Assess the area you wish to run if it’s safe. Of course we want to avoid accidents at all costs so we want to make sure that we’re fully responsible in our run sessions like not wearing earphones if we’re running on the road.

Before I figured out how to go to Al Bidda Park, I used to run around Bin Mahmoud area for my 45-min or 1-hour program. I stay on the sidewalks and stop on signals or if I don’t want to stop, I try to take turns and change my route. I also tried running once from Bin Mahmoud to Mansoura and it’s safe minus the unnecessary catcalls which you can easily dismiss by saying you’ll call the popo. >:)

 

 

Enjoy running and keep safe,