Bekele participation swell last minute entries

Ethiopian legend will lead the field at Dubai Marathon on January 20

The news that threetime Olympic champion Kenenisa Bekele will take to the streets of Dubai this week has resulted in a spike in the number of last-minute entries looking to compete in the 2017 Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon on January 20.

The Ethiopian legend will lead the Marathon field in the Middle East’s biggest mass participation event in what will be only his second appearance on the Dubai roads — a surface he will share with more than 30,000 “running mates”.

And while last-minute entries are the norm in Dubai, organisers are delighted to see Bekele’s inclusion has been eagerly welcomed by the thousands of local and international runners who will run alongside the Ethiopian great in both the Marathon and the 10km Road Race. Thousands more will also enjoy the family-oriented 4km Fun Run.

“It’s not often that athletes get to share the stage with one of the greatest sportsmen of all time,” said Event Director Peter Connerton.

Run number collection will be from the Turf Suite on the fourth floor at Meydan — a venue well used to racing thoroughbreds — with collections on Monday, January 16 (10am-9pm), Tuesday/ Wednesday, January 17/18 (10am-7pm) and on Thursday, January 19 (10am-5pm). No number collection will be possible on race day.

Staged under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, and held under the aegis of the Dubai Sports Council, the 2017 Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon is the first world-class marathon of the year and has attracted a strong field of international elites including former World and Olympic champion Bekele and the 2014 Dubai winner Tsegaye Mekonnen.