Dubai: Two of Ethiopia’s leading marathon talents — Meselech Melkamu and Meseret Hailu — will head a strong elite women’s field at the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon on January 24. And, with nine runners owning personal bests of under 2 hours 24 minutes, this will be one of the strongest elite fields ever assembled for the Dubai event.
On the flat course here, the 2:20 barrier and possibly the course record of 2:19:31 are likely to be under attack at the world’s richest marathon and the only three-time International Association of Athletic Federation (IAAF) Gold Label-ranked race in the region.
“Such is the quality of the field, there is every chance the women’s results in this year’s Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon will be as impressive as those of the men,” said event director Peter Connerton, who also announced that the registration deadline of December 31 has been extended right up to the eve of the race.
A common strand runs through the brief marathon careers of Melkamu and Hailu, who both have almost identical personal bests. Hailu won the 2012 Amsterdam Marathon in a course record 2:21:09, while a week later Melkamu won the Frankfurt Marathon with a course record 2:21:01. Both times are among the fastest female debuts ever.
Now 28, Melkamu was one of the world’s best long distance track runners before turning her attentions to the road. She remains the second fastest ever at 10,000m and holds the African record of 29 minutes 53.8 seconds.
“In the future I want to reach times in the marathon that are as good as the results I achieved in the 10,000m,” she said.
Five years younger, Hailu has been a road race specialist throughout her international career. Two weeks before her Amsterdam victory, she won the gold medal at the World Half Marathon Championships in Bulgaria. More success at that distance followed with Hailu breaking the Ethiopian half marathon record in 66:56 last February.
Her recent form has been promising, with a fourth place in 69:05 in last month’s New Delhi Half Marathon.
Runners looking to register for the marathon as well as the popular 10-kilometre men and women’s event and the 3-kilometre Fun Run can do so at www.dubaimarathon.org.
