Stage set for Zayed International marathon
By Our Sports Reporter
ABU DHABI - The Zayed International marathon has been boosted by prize money of $2 million to draw the world’s leading long distance runners.
The event under the patronage of Shaikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Presidential Affairs, and organised by the Armed Forces Officers Club will be staged in Abu Dhabi on February 28.
“We have sent invitations to some of the best known distance runners including the current world record holder and winner of the Dubai marathon Haile Gebrselassie,” said Major General Mohammed Hilal Al Kaabi, deputy chief of staff and chairman and president of the UAE Athletics Federation.
The organisers of the event have left no stones unturned to make the Zayed International marathon a world class one.
“We’ll try to bring it to the levels of leading marathons like the New York, Boston and Tokyo marathons,” said Al Kaabi. “They have a long history but we’ll try to match them with lucrative prize money. Such things don’t happen overnight at least those marathons are the bench marks of our goal.”
Apart from runners from abroad a number of national and expatriates runners will take part in one of the richest marathon events, which will be flagged off from the Armed Forces Officers Club premises and finish at the Emirates Palace.
The organiser are expecting to draw more than 15,000 runners in various categories that include events for men and women open, school children, veterans and the disabled.
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