Dubai Marathon 2026: who, what and when guide

Gadisa Birhanu and Berehanu Tsegu headline a strong men’s field, while Fantu Worku and Anchinalu Dessie Geneneh lead the women.

This weekend, Dubai prepares to host the 25th edition of its flagship race on February 1 (Sunday). With a famously flat and speedy course, the World Athletics Gold Label event attracts elite runners chasing for fresh new times.

The marathon starts near Madinat Jumeirah, taking athletes along Al Sufouh Road and Jumeirah Beach Road, with wide, straight roads and minimal turns. Along the route, runners pass landmarks including the Burj Al Arab, the Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Palm Jumeirah, and Downtown Dubai, finishing in the shadow of the Burj Khalifa. 

Ethiopia’s Gadisa Birhanu heads the men’s field. The 33-year-old arrives in Dubai following a solid 2025, which included runner-up honours at the Lisbon Marathon in 2:07:25 and an eighth-place finish in Prague.

Birhanu’s career highlight was at the 2023 Seville Marathon where he ran the fastest marathon of his career in 2:04:59. He also won the Taipei Marathon, finished second at Copenhagen, and placed top six at the Changsha Marathon within a seven-month period in 2024. 

Another Ethiopian, Berehanu Tsegu, returns after finishing runner-up in last year’s Dubai Marathon in 2:05:14, just 23 seconds behind compatriot Bute Gemechu. Tsegu has not competed over the distance since that impressive debut.

The 26-year-old has a strong track history, including African Games 10,000m gold in 2019 but received a four-year ban after testing positive at the Copenhagen Half Marathon that same year. He returned in 2024 at the World Cross Country Championships in Belgrade where he finished 19th.

Kenya’s Eric Kiprono Kiptanui (2:05:47) is another athlete to watch. A former Dubai runner-up, Kiptanui missed the 2020 title by a mere two seconds and has since accumulated a string of European road race victories, including the Lisbon Half Marathon, Berlin Half Marathon (where he set a course record of 58:42), and the Barcelona Half Marathon. His first World Marathon Major medal came in 2021 with third place in Chicago.

Ethiopia’s Abera Kuma will be looking to challenge these athletes with his experience. A former African junior champion on the track, Kuma’s marathon best of 2:05:50 comes from finishing second in Rotterdam 2018. He also won the Rotterdam Marathon in 2015 and most recently finished fifth in Bangkok last November.

Other notable contenders include Ethiopia’s Deribe Robi, a veteran marathon specialist with wins in Riga 2022, Xuzhou 2023, and Venice 2025, and Aychew Bantie, a consistent performer with a tied personal best of 2:06:23 from Dubai in 2020.

The women’s field is headlined by Fantu Worku from Ethiopia. The 26-year-old transitioned from a decorated track career — including World U20 silver in the 1500m and a mixed relay gold at the 2019 World Cross Country Championships — to road racing in 2022. She impressed with her marathon debut in Berlin 2025, finishing fifth in 2:21:57.

Two other rising Ethiopian talents will also line up: Anchinalu Dessie Geneneh, with victories in Sevilla 2025 (2:22:17) and Beijing 2025, and 23-year-old Tigst Getnet, whose marathon PB of 2:23:17 was set in Dubai in 2023. 

Getnet trains alongside London 2012 steeplechase medallist Sofia Assefa, who returned to the marathon last year after an international career on the track which began 20 years ago. Assefa’s best marathon performance remains her 2:23:33 at Amsterdam 2023, and she posted two second-place finishes in 2025 at Copenhagen and Istanbul.

Abebech Afework rounds out the top woman entrants. She set her personal best in Dubai back in 2015 (2:23:33) and has continued to race strongly, winning the Lisbon Marathon 2025.

The Dubai Marathon offers more than just the elite races. Alongside the full marathon, runners can tackle the half marathon, 10km road race, and 4km fun run too.

After last year’s podiums, dominated once again by Ethiopia — Bute Gemechu (2:04:51) and Bedatu Hirpa (2:18:27) — the 25th edition promises another fast and fiercely competitive race.

The race kicks off at 5:45 am (GST) for the elite athletes, with the general marathon field starting 45 minutes later at 6:30am (GST).

The marathon will be streamed via the Dubai Marathon’s YouTube page.