Dera Dida, Lelisa Desisa and former world record-holder Dennis Kimetto are among the many entries for the occasion on Sunday January 12
If there’s such a factor as a First Household in athletics, then it has be the Tola-Dida clan from Ethiopia; and certainly one of their favorite watering holes is the Dubai Marathon, whose quarter century is well known with Sunday morning’s occasion.
Reigning Olympic males’s champion Tamirat Tola gained Dubai in 2017 (2:04:11), whereas partner Dera Dida gained in 2023 (2:21:11), on the identical day that her brother-in-law, Tamirat’s youthful sibling Abdisa, gained the boys’s title (2:05:42).
Tamirat went on to larger issues, with a world championship silver medal in London later in 2017, then gold within the delayed world championship in Eugene 2022, a New York Marathon victory in 2023 and the Olympic crown final yr. This time spherical, he has a much more essential process, staying at residence and minding their daughter.
As a result of bringing their daughter (even with a nanny) to final yr’s Dubai race might have distracted Dera from a repeat victory, although she nonetheless completed third in 2:19:29, two minutes sooner than the earlier yr; however she’s left hubby to do the home chores this time, and comes decided to win her second Dubai Marathon whereas Tamirat watches on TV again residence on the outskirts of capital Addis Ababa.
As befits a First Household, solely the perfect is sweet sufficient, and their coaching group has obtained to be certainly one of if not the strongest on the earth. Amongst her operating companions are former marathon world record-holder and Olympic silver medallist Tigist Assefa in addition to the present marathon world champion Amane Beriso.
“I don’t practice with the group daily,” she stated by means of an interpreter. “On a everyday foundation, I practice with Tamirat, however I be a part of them often. Since Tamirat gained the Olympics, we’ve had much more media curiosity, however we attempt to focus on our operating and never get too distracted.”
Nicely, her rivals (and compatriots) right here in Dubai, Tigist Girma and Zeineber Yimer, have already got a lot to distract her, provided that their respective finest occasions of two:18:52 and a pair of:19:07 are higher than hers (2:19:24), however not a lot as to discourage her. “I feel I’m in form to run the course file (2:16:07, set by one other colleague, Tigist Ketema, final yr). I hope that can be sufficient to win.”
Lelisa Desisa (Dubai Marathon)
One other return winner has equally excessive aspirations, though accidents have ploughed a broad furrow between Lelisa Desisa’s glory days and Sunday’s race. Lelisa was certainly one of many debutant winners in Dubai over the past decade or so, however his got here in profitable most likely essentially the most thrilling race in Dubai Marathon historical past. On a uncommon foggy day within the Emirates, Lelisa emerged from the mists with an outstanding dash end to clock 2:04:45, and outpace 4 shut pursuers who all completed inside a handful of seconds, the primary time 5 males had ever gone inside two hours, 5 minutes for a marathon.
Like Tamirat, Lelisa went on a have a superlative set of sequels, two victories and two second locations in Boston and a win in New York, culminating with the world title on a torrid evening in Doha 2019. A sequence of accidents and the pandemic halted his progress, however he maintains he’s again near his finest.
Following Friday’s press convention, he stated: “I’ve been coaching with Milkesa (Mengesha), who gained the Berlin Marathon final yr, and with Deresa (Geleta), who completed second in Valencia. I feel I’m nearly as good they usually’re operating 2:02-2:03. Issues have modified quite a bit since I gained right here in 2013. At the moment, we have been considering of two:04 to 2:07 for a marathon, now we’ve to think about two hours! I feel I can run a private finest on Sunday.”
Since his finest stays the two:04:45 from 2013, if he and his younger rivals can get anyplace close to that, they’ll be threatening the course file of two:03:34 that one other colleague Getaneh Mollah ran right here in 2019.
Dennis Kimetto (Victah Sailer)
An intriguing entrant is former world record-holder, Dennis Kimetto of Kenya. One of many capturing stars of current marathon historical past, Kimetto had a brief stellar profession throughout which (along with different high victories) he gained three of an important marathons on the earth, Chicago, Tokyo and Berlin, breaking the course file in every occasion, and setting a world file within the closing one, in Berlin 2014. He was the primary to run sub-2:03 (2:02:57) and his file stood for 4 years. Clearly, at 10 days wanting his forty first birthday, Dubai 2025 goes to be a really completely different problem for Kimetto.
Making his Dubai debut this yr is British Paralympian Richard Whitehead, marathon world file holder for athletes with bilateral knee amputations who ran the 2024 Chicago Marathon in a record-breaking 2:41:36 in October.
A a number of gold medal profitable Paralympian in London 2012 and Rio 2016, Whitehead has additionally achieved 4 World Championship titles and is trying ahead to his first try on the Dubai Marathon. “I really like the camaraderie of the occasions, how they embrace all ages, all cultures, and all talents,” he stated. “I feel operating as an athlete who lives with a incapacity allows folks to see that something is feasible, when you imagine in your self.”
A stay stream of the Dubai Marathon can be out there on Sunday from 6am native time (2am within the UK) at: dubaimarathon.org
Elite runners with private bests
Males
Dennis Kimetto KEN 2:02:57
Lelisa Desisa ETH 2:04:45
Dino Sefir ETH 2:04:50
Shifera Tamru ETH 2:05:18
Gebru Redahgne ETH 2:05:58
Ashenafi Moges ETH 2:06:12
Abay Alemu ETH 2:06:50
Mesfin Nigusu ETH 2:07:58
Tadele Demissie ETH 2:08:25
Desalegn Girma ETH 2:08:30
Berehanu Tsegu ETH Debut
Boki Diriba ETH Debut
Girls
Tigist Girma ETH 2:18:52
Zeineba Yimer ETH 2:19:07
Dera Dida ETH 2:19:24
Etagegne Woldu ETH 2:20:03
Gadise Mula ETH 2:20:59
Bedatu Hirpa ETH 2:21:09
Beyenu Degefa ETH 2:23:04
Kuftu Tahir Dadiso ETH 2:23:14
Tigist Geshaw ETH 2:24:39
Kebebush Yisma ETH 2:27:46
Mulugojam Ambi ETH 2:28:59
Betukan Welde ETH Debut
Etenesh Diro ETH Debut
Bekelech Teku ETH Debut
Alem Tsadik ETH Debut
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