Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Sports Council (ADSC) have joined forces with Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc) to host the inaugural Adnoc Abu Dhabi Marathon on December 7 with a host of top athletes.
The announcement of bringing the world’s oldest race to capital was made at the Adnoc Towers in the presence of Aref Hamad Al Awani, Secretary General of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council and Omar Suwaina Al Suwaidi, Executive Office Director at Adnoc. They signed a three-year deal with the latter as the title sponsor and their aim is to ensure the event becomes a top tier event in the marathon calendar.
The Adnoc Abu Dhabi Marathon will position the UAE capital firmly in the global athletics calendar, asserted Al Awani.
“We are happy that we are finally completing one of the main pillars of our sporting aspiration with a marathon event to the calendar. It was a long lasting dream for us,” said Al Awani, adding that the partnership with Adnoc would help them ensure that the event reaches the top level in the world.
“Adnoc is the most important support for us and they have time and again done so in the past. We hope with their support we can have at least 15,000 participants this year. And we want to get that gold batch of a top class marathon event in three years time,” added Al Awani.
The race will be held over a 42.195km (26 miles, 385 yards) course that will showcase the city of Abu Dhabi to a global audience. In recognition of the Year of Zayed, the race will bring together elite international athletes, seasoned amateur runners and thousands of people taking part in their first marathon. It will offer runners of all abilities the chance to participate in a range of events from 2.5km and 5km fun runs, to the 10km and full-distance marathon.
RCS Active Team, the organisers for the Milan Marathon, will be handling the event and their Head of Mass Events Andrea Trabuio is confident of putting up a good show. “At the moment we are looking to promote the event. We will be looking at getting in top athletes. We will be able to give you a clear picture by September. We are looking to make sure that the event grows,” said Trabuio.
Entry fees for the event range from Dh50-75 for the shorter 2.5km and 5km fun runs, Dh150 for the 10km, and Dh350 for the marathon race. Registration for the Adnoc Abu Dhabi Marathon is open at: www.adnocabudhabimarathon.com.
