Dubai: Chicago Marathon 2008 winner Evans Cheruiyot is the latest big name runner to commit himself to the 2011 Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon, which will take place in the emirate on January 21.
The Kenyan stunned the world of athletics when he won the US race in a time of just 2h:06:25 in what was only his second marathon outing two years ago. His first had also seen him win in Milan in 2007 just a year after establishing himself as one of the ten fastest half marathon runners of all time.
Although his Chicago time remains his personal best, Cheruiyot has shown he can run in the best of company and will be a serious threat to the rest of the stars eyeing the $250,000 (Dh917,500) first prize in Dubai.
"The elite field continues to grow as we countdown to the race itself," said Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon event director Peter Connerton. "Evans is recognised as a world-class athlete and it is always a pleasure to welcome runners who have excelled on the big stage."
While Cheruiyot is no stranger to making the sporting headlines, he made news of a different kind four years ago when an unscrupulous manager left him and fourteen other runners stranded in France with no money, food or shelter. Although the Kenyan Embassy rescued him, Cheruiyot returned home and seriously considered giving up the sport.
Refugees
"To be stuck in a foreign country without food or money was frightening," he said. "We slept on the floor, went days without food, had our passports confiscated at one point, and were told that we would stay like refugees."
Although shaken by the experience, he was convinced not to waste his talent and in 2006, Cheruiyot won the Eldoret Half Marathon and met his current manager, Federica Rosa, who took him under his wing and helped him progress to US success.
Held under the patronage of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and staged under the aegis of the Dubai Sports Council, the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon will see 28- year-old Cheruiyot start as one of the men's favourites in a race with a prize-fund of $1 million.
