FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dubai Will Be Next Stage in Kenenisa Bekele's Marathon Quest
Kenenisa Bekele's next marathon will be in Dubai. The organisers of the
Standard Chartered Dubai marathon in conjunction with Dubai Holding
announced the news at a press conference in the Desert Emirate on Sunday.
The major investment conglomerate Dubai Holding, supporter of the marathon,
has engaged Bekele as its ambassador for its Corporate Wellness Programme.
The marathon will be run on its super flat and fast course on January 23.
Taking into account shorter distances held in conjunction, around 25,000
runners are expected to participate. Entries can be made online at:
www.dubaimarathon.org
Kenenisa Bekele is without doubt one of the greatest long distance runners
of all time. The 32-year-old has won three Olympic titles over 5 and
10,000m, five world championship titles on the track and still holds the
world records at both distances. This year the man who has won eleven world
titles in cross-country decided to move to the marathon. After a commanding
debut in Paris where he ran 2:05:04 to break the course record, he also
broke 2:06 in his second race at 42.195 kilometres although his time of
2:05:51 was only good enough for fourth place when Bekele himself had
expected more. He wants to make amends in Dubai, where Ethiopian debutants
in the marathon have produced brilliant performances to break 2:05 in each
of the last three races. In 2012 Ayele Abshero set the current course
record of 2:04:23.
"I've followed the race in recent years and know that the Dubai course is
very flat which should make fast times possible. Of course, switching to
the marathon is not easy but I'm delighted at the challenge offered by
Dubai and hope, as Ambassador for the Dubai Holding Corporate Wellness
Programme, I can motivate people of all ages to run if I produce a fast
time," said Kenenisa Bekele at a press conference for the race which offers
the biggest prize in marathon running: $200,000 each for the men's and
women's champions of the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon.
As for his possible time, Kenenisa Bekele explained: "I've learned from my
first two marathons and will be better prepared for Dubai than for Paris
and Chicago. I hope we can attack the course record of 2:04:23. Of course,
I can't forget Haile Gebrselassie's Ethiopian record of 2:03:59 - it would
be great if I could break that. But the priority in Dubai would be to
improve my personal best and set a course record if possible."
The Event Director Peter Connerton believes that Kenenisa Bekele's
participation could have the same effect - in terms of raising the
popularity of the race - as did Haile Gebrselassie's who won the title for
three consecutive years from 2008. "Just like Haile, Kenenisa has made the
move to the marathon after he has won everything on the track and in
cross-country," said Connerton. "So far he has made a better start to his
marathon career than did Haile and Paul Tergat. Kenenisa is determined to
reach the next level in the marathon. We're proud that he believes that
Dubai is the right place for the next advance in his extraordinary career."
Jos Hermens, Bekele's manager, also believes that his athlete has still
much more to give in the marathon: "Haile Gebrselassie and Paul Tergat also
needed a few races before they ran world records," said the Dutch agent.
Hermens is optimistic that Bekele can produce a very good performance in
Dubai: "I'm sure that Kenenisa will be better prepared for the Standard
Chartered Dubai Marathon than for his first two marathons - he didn't have
the capacity in those races to break 2:05. He's a runner who needs
competitive pressure. In the past Kenenisa was always especially strong
when he ran cross-country in the winter. He had to prepare for that, ie, he
had to train with intensity during the winter. That's also the case for the
Dubai Marathon. He recovered fast and the training for Chicago will also
help in his build-up for Dubai."
Kenenisa Bekele has learned the lessons from the race in Chicago. "I saw
that I had to train more and in a different way if I were to be successful
in the marathon," said the Olympic champion, who also has a new and
well-known coach from Italy: "Renato Canova has taken over my training
since Chicago. He is with me in Addis Ababa and the training is going
well."
More information and online entry is available at: www.dubaimarathon.org
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