As well as an extremely fast marathon, Dubai hosts a myriad of other attractions, from beautiful beaches to award-winning restaurants
The Dubai Marathon has witnessed some extraordinarily quick times down the years.
The course records are 2:03:34 by Geteneh Molla and 2:16:07 by Tigist Ketema, meaning Dubai is one of the fastest marathons in the world.
So if you’re in search of a personal best then the next edition [January 12] might be perfect for you.
Apart from hosting one of the world’s quickest races over 26.2 miles, Dubai also has amazing beaches, restaurants and sites to see for visitors.
Its linear layout makes it easy to navigate, with the airport just minutes from key areas such as Dubai Creek, Downtown and the Marina.
You can enjoy white sands of Kite Beach and the splendour of Dubai’s heritage quarter – and with amazing waterslides and theme parks, there is everything you need to relax either before or after the marathon.
As for the race, and to give you an idea how quick it is, the average of the top 10 men’s performances in Dubai is 2:04:02, which has been surpassed only by Berlin, Valencia, London, Tokyo and Chicago.
The average of the top 10 women’s times in Dubai is 2:18:36, which has been beaten by just Chicago, London, Tokyo, Valencia and Berlin.
Tigist Ketema (Colombo)
Last year’s races were won by Addisu Gobena of Ethiopia in 2:05:01 and Ketema with her women’s course record of 2:16:07.The Gold Label race started in 1998 and it really placed itself firmly on the world marathon map in 2008 when Haile Gebrselassie won in 2:04:53 before coming back to successfully defend his title in 2009 and 2010.
Then, in 2012, Ayele Abshero won on his debut marathon in 2:04:23 and led four men inside 2:05 – an unprecedented feat at the time and long before super-shoes became widespread.Former winners also include Tamirat Tola, who won in 2017 in 2:04:11 before going on to win the world marathon title in 2022 and Olympic crown in 2024.
What’s more, Dubai was the first marathon in history to see five men break 2:05 in the same race; the first to see seven men run sub-2:05 in the same race; and the first to have three women inside 2:20 in the same race.
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