Ethiopian Presence Strong at Dubai Marathon

By Adam Kopet

Worknesh Degefa returns for her fourth straight Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon Friday as she looks to notch her second Dubai Marathon win.

The 29-year-old Ethiopian had a stellar first half of 2019, finishing second at the Dubai Marathon in an Ethiopian record 2:17:41, good for fifth on the all-time performer list, and winning the Boston Marathon.

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Degefa is repeating her 2019 season schedule this year, as she has also committed to defending her Boston Marathon win.

Prior to her second-place finish in 2019, Degefa finished fourth in 2018, running 2:19:53, and she won in 2017 in 2:22:36. She has always run fastest in Dubai and has improved every year.

Challenging Degefa will be a large contingent of Ethiopian athletes, led by Buzunesh Deba, who has run 2:19:59. In all, including those already mentioned, eight women in the field have run under 2:25.

Other women to watch include marathon debutante Hawi Feysa of Ethiopia and Sweden's Hanna Lindholm. The Dubai Marathon has a history of athletes winning in their marathon debuts. For Lindholm, she is running for a place on Sweden's Olympic team. Her personal best of 2:29:34 is just four seconds off the Olympic standard.

The men's field is equally dominated by Ethiopian athletes, led by Soloman Dekisa. He has run 2:04:40 to finish third at the 2018 Amsterdam Marathon. However, fellow Ethiopian Seifu Tura has run 2:04:44 in Dubai before and cannot be overlooked.

The race is set to feature nine men who have run under 2:08, all of them from Ethiopia. However, Kenya's Eric Kiptanui could feature prominently in his marathon debut. He has the fastest half marathon personal best in the field at 58:42.

The race will be held Friday morning in Dubai. Given the time zone, it will take place Thursday evening in the United States, starting at 9 p.m. EST.