It might well be a question for a quiz question master with a keen interest in track and field athletics: Why will the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon 2006 begin six weeks late? The new date of February 17 instead of January 6 can be explained as follows: two days before the race, the death of Sheikh Maktoum bin Raschid al-Maktoum was announced. Official mourning for the ruling emir began straightaway and was due to last for 40 days. Most athletes as well as managers and journalists were already in Dubai or had received the news during their flight to the United Arab Emirates.
As the Gulf state went into mourning, athletes and coaches had to deal with an unusual question: Given that a marathon marks a peak in the training year, how do you change plans to be at your peak six weeks later? Zane Bransen is from the US state of Kentucky, is a manager and coach and has lived for many years in Belgrade. The former steeplechaser from the University of Eastern Tennessee advises, among others, Jimmy Muindi from Kenya, who has won the Honolulu marathon on numerous occasions. The day the sad news was announced, Bransen was already making new plans: “It will be easier to cope with a postponement of six weeks rather than if it had been two. My runners will fly back to Kenya and take part in a couple of races, perhaps taking in the Armed Forces Cross-Championships. If they don’t run themselves into the ground, they’ll cope with the postponement.”
The previous year the Ethiopians celebrated a double victory: Dejene Guta won the men’s title with 2:10:49 while Diribe Hunde became women’s champion in 2:39:08. For Guta, winning in only his second marathon outside of Ethiopia marked a big rise in achievement level. On his foreign debut in Japan, everything had gone wrong: “I was ill and could only run 2:17. After my victory in Dubai, I’ll have the chance to run in New York, Boston or London.” Strong competition will be offered by his fellow runners from Africa, who have won the men’s title on the last six occasions. Joseph Kahugu of Kenya holds the course record with an impressive 2:09:33 (2003), while the Russian Albina Ivanova has been the fastest woman so far with 2:33:31 in 2002. At this time of year the average daytime temperature is around 25 degrees Celsius, but it’s well below 20 degrees for a race starting early in the morning, so good conditions for fast times.
Dubai is a sports mad city, where international events staging horse racing, tennis, golf and rugby sevens have a high profile. The marathon has been a top attraction in the domestic running scene since 2000 and it’s growing further on the international stage, not least thanks to prize money of $25,000 for victory. Dubai is also known worldwide as a shopping centre for tourists. With prize money like that, it would be worth going.
