Article:
ISSUE No.8 January - February 2007

Dubai Marathon 2008
High Prizes Allure Athletes to the Desert

This year’s Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon entices the international running elite to the desert emirate with near record prizes. Among the top athletes who will vie for the prize of one million US dollars are running legend Haile Gebrselassie from Ethiopia and world record runner Lornah Kiplagat from Kenya.

The organizers of the Dubai Marathon are very proud of the attendance of the world’s fastest runners.
Lornah Kiplagat, who will start for the Netherlands, is considered the favorite among the women. After a healed injury, the top-ranked runner has shown at the 2nd IAAF World Road-Running Championship in Udine, Italy, that she is in her best form. She won with 1:06:44, a new world record for half marathon, breaking Elana Meyer’s eight year old record.
Among the men, the Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie heads the list of favorites. The Olympics winner, who holds several world records as well, wants to use his debut in Dubai to break another course record. Gebrselassie will try very hard since Dubai Holding is offering one million US dollars in prize money.