Dubai (UAE): While other city races may lay claim to be “Marathon Majors”, race results continue to show the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon as being the world’s ultimate long distance event for elite athletes, according to figures from the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations). Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge may certainly have set the world alight with a new world record time of 2:01:39 in Berlin last year but a closer look at the top ten men’s marathon times of 2018 reveals that the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon produced the race of the year. It means that BOTH the men and women’s races at the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon were ranked number one in the world for 2018 by the IAAF in terms of results score. And with the 2019 Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon set to focus the athletics spotlight on January 25, industry insiders are keen to see who will emerge as the top talents to watch in the coming months. “For example, Dubai has produced 13 of the fastest-ever 50 men’s times in Marathon history as well as 12 of the fastest-ever 50 women’s times.

Source: Ethiopian News January 17, 2019 07:41 UTC