Dubai: Runners competing in the 2011 Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon will once again rub shoulders with the running elite on a new starting line for the biggest running event in the region.
Certified AIMS course measurer Paul Hodgson, who has meticulously measured every route since the event was first staged in Dubai, has spent the last few days going over every inch of the route to ensure that it meets the highest international standards.
And with Dubai's ongoing landmark changes once again affecting the course, the thousands expected to start the marathon will face yet another new start line, this time outside the old Hard Rock Cafe opposite the Emirates Golf Club.
"It is impossible for us to have the same start as we did in 2010 due to the ongoing developments in the city," said Hodgson who was assisted in his measuring of the route by Abdullah M. Alyazeedi from Dubai RTA.
"But the new start is in an excellent location with plenty of space for runners to gather before the start gun is fired. In addition, by creating a new start we have been able to remove the turning point near the Madinat junction.
This means we now have only one major turning point on the entire marathon route - down at Union House - which should help those runners looking to set a personal best."
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 be held on January 21, 2011 with a world record marathon prize-money of $1 million (Dh3.67 million) on offer to the multi-national field.
