Dubai: Runners of all ages, abilities and nationalities are already signing up for the 2018 Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon — the Middle East’s biggest mass-participation sporting event — as they prepare for a place on the start line of the Marathon, the 10km and the 4km Fun Run on January 26.
Registration for the event, held under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Sports Council (DSC), and staged under the aegis of the Dubai Sports Council, can be done through the event’s website — www.dubaimarathon.org — and the three runs are already filling up with competitors from home and abroad.
“We are delighted with the response to the opening of registration,” said event director Peter Connerton.
“As soon as the 2017 race was over, we had people from all over the world asking when they could sign up for the next one. It’s very encouraging and motivates us to make the race even better,” he added.
Among the more than 30,000 runners that will line up across the three events will be groups of runners representing many companies and government bodies. It’s a category actively encouraged by the event organisers. “Group entries are wonderful for team building and boosting company morale, while at the same time contributing to the health, fitness and well-being of people of all backgrounds and nationalities,” Connerton said.
Since the Dubai Marathon launched group entries, the biggest participant in terms of runner numbers has been Dubai Holding, which has again thrown its support behind the event. “Our commitment to enhancing the lifestyle of Dubai’s society marks its first decade this year,” said Dubai Holding chief executive officer Edris Al Rafi.