Running News Daily

2022 Dubai Marathon edition will not take place in January but hopefully in December due to COVID-19

The 2022 Dubai Marathon has been postponed, organizers told LetsRun.com last week. Typically staged in late January, the 2021 edition was cancelled due to COVID-19 and the 2022 edition will not take place in January either as local health and safety guidelines — including a temporary ban on flights from Kenya and Ethiopia — make it difficult to stage the race.

First held in 2000, Dubai began offering a $250,000 first-place prize in 2008 and a $1 million bonus for a world record. Though the world record bonus no longer exists and the prize money has been cut, the $100,000 reward for first place remains one of the biggest paydays in the sport.

As of now, Pace Events, the organizers and promoters of the Dubai Marathon, have set a tentative date of December 10 for the postponed 2022 edition. That would put the race in competition with the Abu Dhabi Marathon, a rival race begun in 2018 which staged its 2021 edition on November 26.

Pace Events provided the following statement to LetsRun.com on the 2022 Dubai Marathon:

On behalf of Pace Events FZ LLC, we trust you had a good new year and are looking forward to a brighter future for running events. As the organisers of the Dubai Marathon for 21 consecutive years since its first edition in 2000, Pace Events anticipates a time when we can all come together and have another World Athletics-sanctioned Marathon and mass participation event in the city of Dubai.

Unfortunately, because of the current situation and adhering to the strict local health and safety guidelines, it still remains impossible for Pace Events to reunite the running community in Dubai with its iconic Marathon in the early part of 2022. Races organised by our team normally attract well in excess of 25,000 runners from all over the world and until we can safely bring together athletes, stakeholders, sponsors, partners and officials we have to wait for circumstances to change.

Naturally, we are disappointed to have to wait longer but we hope to be able to put on a bigger and better event later this year. The date we have set for the return is December 10, 2022.

For now, we can only sit tight and look forward to seeing everyone on the start line…