Abu Dhabi: Former marathon record holder Paul Tergat from Kenya and current half-marathon record holder Lorna Kiplagat of The Netherlands lead the men's and women's field respectively in the $2 million Zayed International Marathon, to be held here in the capital on February 28.
The star long distance runners will be part of a strong international line-up in the 21km (half marathon) race which will be accompanied by other competitions including a seven-km and a four-km run.
"We already have a confirmed list of entries and some of the big names in the long distance circuit are in the fray. We expect more stars will be signing up in the near future," said Major General Mohammad Hilal Al Ka'abi, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, Board Chairman of the Armed Forces Officers' Club and Chairman of the Zayed International Marathon Organising Committee.
"This event is being held under the patronage of Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Presidential Affairs, and the total prize money is $2 million," he added.
"The winners of the men's and women's categories in the 21-km run will each get $300,000. There are some very attractive prizes for those who finish lower and for the winners of the other categories," he said.
National Bank of Abu Dhabi, Hydra Properties, International Petroleum Investment Company, Al Jaber Group, Abu Dhabi Company for Airports, Emirates Advanced Investments and etisalat are among the major sponsors of the event.
Brigadier Obaid Bin Eisa, Chairman of the Executive Committee, Jasem Mohammad, Chairman of the Technical Committee, along with other officials and representatives of the sponsors addressed Tuesday's press conference held at the Armed Forces Officers Club.
"From tomorrow on wards leading newspapers will carry the website address from which entry forms can be downloaded. In Abu Dhabi the forms will be available at the Marina Mall, Abu Dhabi Mall and the Al Wahda Mall, while the paper announcements will also carry the points from where interested persons can get the forms in the other emirates," said Khalid Al Hammadi, Head of the Media Committee.
Apart from the winner's cheque, an additional amount of $200,000 is up for grabs for a new half-marathon record.
The world record stands in the name of Samuel Kano, who was timed at 58 minutes 33 seconds in 2007. Dutch star Lorna Kiplagat, who has confirmed to run here, holds the women's record at 1hr 06mins 25 secs.
The organisers also announced a bonus of Dh200,000 for the a new record by UAE nationals.
The events will be held from 3.30pm onwards at the Marina Mall vicinity and the 21-km run will take the participants from the start point in Marina Mall along the Corniche to the port and will return to finish at the Emirates Palace Hotel.
