The Dubai Marathon is an annual

road A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

-based

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

hosted by

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

, since 1998. The marathon is categorized as a Gold Label Road Race by

World Athletics World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body for ...

History

Initial era

The inaugural Dubai Marathon was held on . The marathon started outside the Al Wasl Club, and ended inside the Al Wasl Stadium. About 150 runners participated, with 48 of them finishing the race. The

Association of Road Racing Statisticians The Association of Road Racing Statisticians is an independent, non-profit organization that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics regarding road running races. The primary purpose of the ARRS is to maintain a valid list of world road record ...

(ARRS) has no record of a marathon occurring in Dubai in 1999.

Current era

The 2000 edition of the marathon was held on ; the event has usually been held on a Friday in January since. In 2006, the marathon was postponed from to due to the sudden death of

Sheikh Maktoum Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum ( ar, مكتوم بن راشد آل مكتوم, Maktūm bin Rāshid Āl Maktūm; 15 August 1943 – 4 January 2006) was an Emirati politician who served as the vice president and prime minister of the Unite ...

Emir of Dubai This article lists the rulers of separate states on the territory of the United Arab Emirates, most of which became its Emirates. List of rulers of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi Al Nahyan of Al Abu Falah dynasty List of rulers of the Emirate of ...

, on . The postponement meant that temperatures were higher than usual during the race, approaching . Winner was originally only meant to pace the first , but broke away from the pack once race organizers gave approval. In April 2007, it was announced that the prizes for the 2008 race would be one million dollars offered for a world record and $250,000 for first place for both men and women, making this the long-distance running event with the greatest cash prizes in history. The 2008 race was won by

Haile Gebrselassie Haile Gebrselassie ( am, ኀይሌ ገብረ ሥላሴ, ''haylē gebre silassē''; born 18 April 1973) is an Ethiopian retired long-distance track, road running athlete, and businessman. He won two Olympic gold medals and four World Champions ...

with a time of 2:04:53. This was the second fastest recorded time for a marathon at that point, not fast enough to claim a world record or the million dollar prize. The 2012 race proved to have one of the fastest finishing fields at that point: a record of four athletes finished in under two hours and five minutes.

Ayele Abshero Ayele Abshero Biza ( am, አየለ አብሽሮ ቢዛ, born 28 December 1990) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who mainly competes in cross country and road races. He came to prominence with a junior silver medal at the 2008 IAAF World ...

won with a course record time of 2:04:23 hours, which was the fourth fastest on the all-time lists and the fastest time ever run by an athlete running his first marathon. The other podium finishers also entered the all-time top ten: runner-up

Dino Sefir Dino Sefir Kemal (born 28 May 1988) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. He was one of three members of the Ethiopian team who competed in the marathon at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom.Markos Geneti became the ninth fastest with a time of 2:04:54 hours.

Jonathan Kiplimo Maiyo Jonathan Kiplimo Maiyo (born 5 May 1988) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in half marathon and marathon events. His personal bests of 59:02 minutes and 2:04:56 hours, respectively, ranks him in the top twenty all-time in both eve ...

became the 13th fastest man with a time of 2:04:56 hours, and

Tadese Tola Tadese Tola (born 31 October 1987 in Addis Ababa) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. He has represented Ethiopia at World championship level in cross country, road running, and on the track. He made his first impact in 2006, helping the Eth ...

became the 16th fastest with a time of 2:05:10 hours.Butcher, Pat (2012-01-27)
Abshero stuns with 2:04:23 debut, Mergia clocks 2:19:31 in Dubai
IAAF. Retrieved on 2012-02-04. The women's side was also fast; for the first time in history, the top three runners of a race all finished in under two hours and twenty minutes.

Aselefech Mergia Aselefech Mergia Medessa ( Oromo: ''Asallafach Margaa Mardaasaa''; Amharic: አሰለፈች መርጊያ; born 23 January 1985) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who competes in the marathon. She was a bronze medallist in the event at the 2009 ...

finished with a time of 2:19:31 hours to win, setting an both a course record and an Ethiopian record and becoming the seventh fastest recorded woman. In her first marathon, runner-up

Lucy Wangui Kabuu Lucy Wangui Kabuu (born 24 March 1984) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specializes in the 5000 and 10,000 metres events. She has represented Kenya twice at the Summer Olympics, finishing in the top ten of the 10,000 m race in both 200 ...

became the eighth fastest woman with a time of 2:19:34 hours, and

Mare Dibaba Mare Dibaba Hurrsa (born 20 October 1989) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. She won the 2015 World Championships in Athletics in Beijing. Dibaba is not related to track Olympic champion and world record holder Tirunesh Dibaba. Biography He ...

became the 15th fastest woman, finishing in 2:19:52 hours. Fellow Ethiopians

Bezunesh Bekele Bezunesh Bekele Sertsu (born 29 January 1983) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who specializes in cross-country running and marathons. Biography She was born in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa. She took a number of circuit wins on the ...

and

Aberu Kebede Aberu Kebede Shewaye (born 12 September 1989) is an Ethiopian long distance runner who specializes in road running competitions. Her half marathon best of 1:07:39 is one of the fastest ever by an Ethiopian woman. She gained a bronze at the 2009 ...

moved up to the 16th and 17th fastest women of all time. The 2013 event, run under a heavy fog, was also very fast. The Ethiopian winner

Lelisa Desisa Lelisa Desisa Benti (born 14 January 1990) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who specialises in road running competitions. Desisa gained his first international medal at the 2009 African Junior Athletics Championships, where he took the 10,00 ...

, won in a sprint finish of the last 200 meters with a time of 2:04:45, leading four other runners who also finished in under 2 hours, 5 minutes. On the women's side, Ethiopian

Tirfi Tsegaye Tirfi Tsegaye Beyene (born 25 November 1984) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who competes in marathon races. She has won the Berlin Marathon, the Paris Marathon (in a course record), the Tokyo Marathon (also in course-record time), and th ...

won with a time of 2:23:23, sixteen seconds ahead of fellow Ethiopian Ehitu Kiros. The top four runners on the men's side and the top six on the women's side were all Ethiopians. In the 2015 race,

Shure Demise Shure Demise Ware (born January 21, 1996) is an Ethiopian long distance runner who specializes in road running competitions. At the 2015 Dubai Marathon, Demise set a junior world record in the marathon where she finished 4th overall. Demise fin ...

set a junior world record in the marathon, finishing fourth overall. In 2020, the race organizers stated that they would "not be staging a marathon/mass participation event of any format in Dubai in January 2021" due to the

coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

. The 2022 edition of the race was postponed to due to the

2022 FIFA World Cup The 2022 FIFA World Cup is an international association football, football tournament contested by the men's national teams of FIFA's member associations. The 22nd FIFA World Cup is taking place in Qatar from 20 November to 18 December 2022 ...

hosted by

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...

, after marathon organizers realized that a shortage of accommodation in Qatar would mean that many football fans were planning to stay in Dubai during the football tournament, limiting accommodation and travel options for marathoners if the race were to be held during the tournament.

Course

Initial course

The course used in the inaugural race in 1998 started outside the Al Wasl Club and ended inside the Al Wasl Stadium.

World Trade Center course

The course start and finish was moved to the

Dubai World Trade Centre The Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) ( ar, مركز دبي التجاري العالمي), historically called Sheikh Rashid Tower, is a 38-storey and a height 184 m skyscraper in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which was erected in 1979. It is a purp ...

. During the marathon, runners crossed the

Dubai Creek Dubai Creek ( ar, خور دبي, Khūr Dubay) has been described as a natural saltwater creek, tidal inlet, and watercourse or waterway in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). It extends about inwards and forms a natural port that has traditional ...

at one point by going under it via

Al Shindagha Tunnel Al Shindagha Tunnel (Arabic: نفق الشندغة) is a tunnel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Opened on 19 December 1975, it is the oldest and the busiest tunnel where 55,000 vehicles travel through the tunnel both directions daily. It goes unde ...

, and at another point by going over it via

Al Garhoud Bridge Al Garhoud Bridge (in Arabic: جسر القرهود) is one of three road bridges over Dubai Creek, and one of five crossings, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Al Garhoud Bridge forms the eastern end of the road toll (called Salik) that went into ...

Current course

The marathon starts on Umm Suqeim Street, a few blocks southeast of

Madinat Jumeirah Madinat Jumeirah the Arabian Resort - Dubai is a 5 star resort in Dubai. It is the largest resort in the Emirate, spreading across over 40 hectares of landscapes and gardens. It is designed to resemble a traditional Arabian town. The resort comp ...

, and finishes about a few hundred metres further southeast. The vast majority of the race is run entirely on D 94 road that runs a few blocks away from the coast, including on King Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud Street (formerly Al Sufouh Road) and Jumeirah Beach Road. The course first heads briefly northwest before turning southwest for an out-and-back leg of roughly of length each way on King Salman bin Abdulaziz al Saud Street, running past the entrance to the

Palm Jumeirah The Palm Jumeirah is an archipelago of artificial islands on the Persian Gulf in Jumeirah, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is part of a larger series of developments called the Palm Islands, including Palm Jebel Ali and Palm Deira, which, if co ...

up to around the edge of

Dubai Media City Dubai Media City (DMC), part of Dubai Holding, is a tax-free zone within Dubai, United Arab Emirates. History and profile The Dubai Media City was established and built in 2000 and inaugurated in January 2001 by the government of Dubai to boos ...

, and turning around before reaching the skyscrapers immediately southwest. After returning to Umm Suqeim Street, marathoners then continue northeast for two repetitions of an out-and-back leg of roughly of length each way on Jumeirah Beach Road, passing

Burj Al Arab The Burj Al Arab ( ar, برج العرب, ''Arab Tower'') is a luxury hotel located in the city of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Managed by Jumeirah hotel group, it is one of the tallest hotels in the world, although 39% of its total height ...

and

Jumeirah Beach Hotel Jumeirah Beach Hotel is a luxury hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The hotel, which opened in 1997, is operated by the Dubai-based hotelier Jumeirah. The hotel contains 598 rooms and suites, 19 beachfront villas, and 20 restaurants and bars ...

, and turning around on Al Mehemal Street a few hundred metres past Sunset Mall. Afterward, the marathon turns back southeast onto Umm Suqeim Street for about for the finish. , the marathon course has a time limit of six hours.

Management

The event is organized by Pace Events FZ LLC,

Sponsorship

In 2001,

Samsung The Samsung Group (or simply Samsung) ( ko, 삼성 ) is a South Korean multinational manufacturing conglomerate headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea. It comprises numerous affiliated businesses, most of them united under the ...

became the title sponsor for four years.https://web.archive.org/web/20201224031111if_/https://images.samsung.com/is/content/samsung/p5/nl/aboutsamsung/2017/pdf/about-us-sustainability-report-and-policy-annual-report-2004-en.pdf#page=34 In 2005,

Standard Chartered Standard Chartered plc is a multinational bank with operations in consumer, corporate and institutional banking, and treasury services. Despite being headquartered in the United Kingdom, it does not conduct retail banking in the UK, and around 9 ...

became the title sponsor, and has been since, .https://web.archive.org/web/20201224135955if_/https://www.sc.com/global/av/PR-Stan-Chart-Henry-Joseph-Marathon-English.pdf

Winners

Key: Course record (in bold)

Initial era

Current era

Multiple wins

By country

Notes

References

External links

Dubai Marathon official site
{{IAAF Gold Label Marathons in the United Arab Emirates Sports competitions in Dubai Recurring sporting events established in 1998 1998 establishments in the United Arab Emirates Winter events in the United Arab Emirates

History

Initial era

Current era

Course

Initial course

World Trade Center course

Current course

Management

Sponsorship

Winners

Initial era

Current era

Multiple wins

By country

See also

Notes

References

External links