October 27th, 2015

Local And International Runners Target 2016 Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon

As the UAE begins to experience relatively cooler temperatures, registration numbers are starting to heat up for the 2016 Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon, scheduled to get underway on January 22.

With less than 12 weeks to go, competitors looking to sign up for the full marathon distance of 42.195km, the popular 10km event or the 4km Fun Run can register now through this website.

Held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, and staged under the aegis of the Dubai Sports Council, the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon will again feature many of the world’s best long-distance athletes.

And with the IAAF Gold Label event being the first world-class marathon on the running calendar in what will be an Olympic year, competition is expected to be fierce as runners look to secure impressive times and national team selection for Rio 2016.

“Our event is now globally recognised as having one of the fastest routes in marathon running so we fully expect a strong field of elite runners in the marathon itself,” said event director Peter Connerton.

“In the history of marathon running, Dubai has the fastest times ever recorded in the men’s event from fourth place down to 17th, while in the women’s event the same is true from third down to 17th place. These give a clear indication that Dubai has both the terrain and the perfect January climate for runners looking to set impressive Olympic qualifying times.”

As well as the international elite, the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon continues to attract a healthy turnout of overseas runners in addition to thousands of local and expat athletes based in the emirate. And with the registration process well underway, it is likely that once again the day will see another record turn-out across the three events.

The launch of race registration is the first of many announcements expected from the event organisers as they finalise negotiations with both elite athletes and sponsors.

“As the biggest mass participation event in the Middle East, the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon continues to grow in popularity so we always look at ways to improve the competitor experience – which can be a major challenge when you have up to 25,000 runners on site at the same time,” added Connerton.

While Marathon winners Lemi Berhanu Hayle and three-time ladies’ champion Aselefech Mergia from Ethiopia swept the board at this year’s Dubai race, the 2015 event also welcomed a first-ever appearance by IAAF President Lord Coe who helped present the trophies alongside HE Mattar Al Tayer (Vice Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council), HE Saeed Hareb (General Secretary of the Dubai Sports Council) and Ahmad Al Kamali (UAE Athletics Federation President and IAAF Member).

In addition to Standard Chartered as title sponsor, the Dubai Marathon is supported by the Dubai Sports Council, adidas, Dubai Eye 103.8FM, Sport 360, Dubai Holding, Dubai Police and the RTA.