DUBAI: Organisers of the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon have been quick to congratulate the gold medal winning performance of Ruth Chepngetich at the 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships in Doha.
Just seven months ago, the diminutive Kenyan stamped her name in the history books with a blistering time of 2:17:08 at the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon – making her the third fastest woman in history.
And Dubai Event Director Peter Connerton admitted he was delighted to see the 2019 Dubai women’s winner add a World Championship title to her growing number of successes.
“Ruth’s victory in January was yet another milestone in the long list of special times recorded at the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon on what was just her fourth attempt at the distance” said Connerton.
“Her time underlined not only her unquestionable quality but also the excellent running conditions to be found in Dubai in January. When she won that day, she displayed tremendous speed and ability – in the gruelling conditions in Doha, however, she had to show guts and determination to stay the distance and win in a much slower time.
“She’s a worthy champion and we would be delighted to invite her back to defend her Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon title in 2020.”
Chepngetich’s winning time in Doha was more than 15 minutes slower than her performance in Dubai. But with the well-documented conditions playing havoc with the field, the Kenyan enhanced her credentials by fighting through the heat and humidity to claim her first marathon world title.
“People often assume that the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon is held in hot conditions but in fact it is the complete opposite,” added Connerton. “The January weather conditions in Dubai are highly conducive in extracting quick times from the elites, a fact clearly demonstrated by the consistently fast times set over the flat and benign course.
“This year we again saw two new course records set in the emirate and we are already looking forward to the 21st staging of the event on January 24, 2020.” Runners looking to register for the 2020 Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon can do so by visiting the official website www.dubaimarathon.org.
