(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Ethiopian legend Bekele inspires elite and nearly 25000 other runners Dubai: The Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon with Ethiopia’s 5000m and 10000m legend Kenenisa Bekele leading the elite bunch of world class runners and nearly 25000 other participants in the various categories is all set for a grand start on Friday at 7am opposite the Dubai Police Training Academy in Jumeirah.
(From left to right) Ahmad Al Kamali UAE Athletic Federation; Peter Connerton Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon; Saeed Hareb Dubai Sports Council and Mohsin Nathani Standard Chartered Bank UAE during the Press conference of Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon at a local hotel on Wednesday. — KT photo by Juidin Bernarrd
The edition this year being held under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council will also see the 10km event at 7.15am and the 4km Fun Run beginning at 11am. Also in line for the day is the Marathon Push Chair Open which again is open to men and women.
The prize money which is equal for all the categories will see the men’s and women’s main event (marathon open) gold medallists richer by $200000 each.
Bekele during the launch session at the Sheraton Dubai Creek Hotel & Towers on Wednesday said: “Experience is what I am looking for as marathon running is still new to me the Dubai Marathon being the third official world leg event I will be taking part in. As time goes and with a lot of hard work I think I can be on top. I have had very encouraging timings with top five finishes in the debut and subsequent marathons so this is a great mental advantage. ”
Also attending the Press conference were Saeed Hareb secretary general of the Dubai Sports Council; Ahmad Al Kamali of the UAE Athletics Federation; Peter Connerton event director; Mohsin Nathani CEO — Standard Chartered Bank UAE; Cedric Betis chairman Dubai Holding Wellness Programme; and Jad Chouman brand director adidas-Middle East and North Africa; heads of associations of IAAF member countries and other dignitaries.
For the event on Friday the runner with the best timing (2hr:04min:45sec) is another Ethiopian Lelisa Desisa who won on debut here in 2013. In all a total of 21 world class runners will start with personal bests under 2:10 this year. Another big name in the men’s main event is Berhanu Shiferaw (Ethiopia).
In the women’s field the lineup is equally impressive as Dubai course record holder Aselefech Mergia (Ethiopia) who won in 2:19:31 in 2012 eyeing the main prize. Also present is Kenya’s Lucy Kabuu the runner-up in 2012 with a marathon debut timing here (2:19:34).
In addition to Standard Chartered as title sponsor the event is supported by the Dubai Sports Council adidas Dubai Eye 103.8FM Masafi Dubai Holding Dubai Police and the RTA.
monikhaleejtimes.com
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