Dera Dida, Lelisa Desisa and former world record-holder Dennis Kimetto are among the entries for the event on Sunday January 12
If there’s such a thing as a First Family in athletics, then it has be the Tola-Dida clan from Ethiopia; and one of their favourite watering holes is the Dubai Marathon, whose quarter century is celebrated with Sunday morning’s event.
Reigning Olympic men’s champion Tamirat Tola won Dubai in 2017 (2:04:11), while spouse Dera Dida won in 2023 (2:21:11), on the same day that her brother-in-law, Tamirat’s younger sibling Abdisa, won the men’s title (2:05:42).
Tamirat went on to greater things, with a world championship silver medal in London later in 2017, then gold in the delayed world championship in Eugene 2022, a New York Marathon victory in 2023 and the Olympic crown last year. This time round, he has a far more important task, staying at home and minding their daughter.
Because bringing their daughter (even with a nanny) to last year’s Dubai race may have distracted Dera from a repeat victory, though she still finished third in 2:19:29, two minutes faster than the previous year; but she’s left hubby to do the domestic chores this time, and comes determined to win her second Dubai Marathon while Tamirat watches on TV back home on the outskirts of capital Addis Ababa.
As befits a First Family, only the best is good enough, and their training group has got to be one of if not the strongest in the world. Among her running partners are former marathon world record-holder and Olympic silver medallist Tigist Assefa as well as the current marathon world champion Amane Beriso.
“I don’t train with the group every day,” she said through an interpreter. “On a day to day basis, I train with Tamirat, but I join them occasionally. Since Tamirat won the Olympics, we’ve had a lot more media interest, but we try to concentrate on our running and not get too distracted.”
Well, her rivals (and compatriots) here in Dubai, Tigist Girma and Zeineber Yimer, already have plenty to distract her, given that their respective best times of 2:18:52 and 2:19:07 are better than hers (2:19:24), but not so much as to deter her. “I think I’m in shape to run the course record (2:16:07, set by another colleague, Tigist Ketema, last year). I hope that will be enough to win.”
Lelisa Desisa (Dubai Marathon)
Another return winner has equally high aspirations, although injuries have ploughed a broad furrow between Lelisa Desisa’s glory days and Sunday’s race. Lelisa was one of many debutant winners in Dubai over the last decade or so, but his came in winning probably the most exciting race in Dubai Marathon history. On a rare foggy day in the Emirates, Lelisa emerged from the mists with a superb sprint finish to clock 2:04:45, and outpace four close pursuers who all finished within a handful of seconds, the first time five men had ever gone inside two hours, five minutes for a marathon.
Like Tamirat, Lelisa went on a have a superlative set of sequels, two victories and two second places in Boston and a win in New York, culminating with the world title on a torrid night in Doha 2019. A series of injuries and the pandemic halted his progress, but he maintains he’s back close to his best.
Following Friday’s press conference, he said: “I’ve been training with Milkesa (Mengesha), who won the Berlin Marathon last year, and with Deresa (Geleta), who finished second in Valencia. I think I’m as good and they’re running 2:02-2:03. Things have changed a lot since I won here in 2013. At that time, we were thinking of 2:04 to 2:07 for a marathon, now we have to think of two hours! I think I can run a personal best on Sunday.”
Since his best remains the 2:04:45 from 2013, if he and his young rivals can get anywhere near that, they’ll be threatening the course record of 2:03:34 that another colleague Getaneh Mollah ran here in 2019.
Dennis Kimetto (Victah Sailer)
An intriguing entrant is former world record-holder, Dennis Kimetto of Kenya. One of the shooting stars of recent marathon history, Kimetto had a short stellar career during which (in addition to other top victories) he won three of the most important marathons in the world, Chicago, Tokyo and Berlin, breaking the course record in each event, and setting a world record in the final one, in Berlin 2014. He was the first to run sub-2:03 (2:02:57) and his record stood for four years. Obviously, at 10 days short of his 41st birthday, Dubai 2025 is going to be a very different challenge for Kimetto.
A live stream of the Dubai Marathon will be available on Sunday from 6am local time (2am in the UK) at: dubaimarathon.org
Elite runners with personal bests
Men
Dennis Kimetto KEN 2:02:57
Lelisa Desisa ETH 2:04:45
Dino Sefir ETH 2:04:50
Shifera Tamru ETH 2:05:18
Gebru Redahgne ETH 2:05:58
Ashenafi Moges ETH 2:06:12
Abay Alemu ETH 2:06:50
Mesfin Nigusu ETH 2:07:58
Tadele Demissie ETH 2:08:25
Desalegn Girma ETH 2:08:30
Berehanu Tsegu ETH Debut
Boki Diriba ETH Debut
Women
Tigist Girma ETH 2:18:52
Zeineba Yimer ETH 2:19:07
Dera Dida ETH 2:19:24
Etagegne Woldu ETH 2:20:03
Gadise Mula ETH 2:20:59
Bedatu Hirpa ETH 2:21:09
Beyenu Degefa ETH 2:23:04
Kuftu Tahir Dadiso ETH 2:23:14
Tigist Geshaw ETH 2:24:39
Kebebush Yisma ETH 2:27:46
Mulugojam Ambi ETH 2:28:59
Betukan Welde ETH Debut
Etenesh Diro ETH Debut
Bekelech Teku ETH Debut
Alem Tsadik ETH Debut
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