Paralympic legend Henry Wanyoike and his running partner Joseph Kibunja have confirmed they will return to the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon for the 2014 race.
Wanyoike, the world record holder of the 5,000m and 10,000m events at the Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 Paralympics, will be running the 10km event along with his childhood friend and guide Kibunja. T
he Kenyan athletics legend became visually impaired in 1995 following a stroke, but that has not stopped him from becoming one of the greatest Paralympians of all time.
In races for visually impaired runners, the competitor is connected to a guide by a tether on the wrist, which the guide uses to indicate when to turn, accelerate or avoid obstacles.
In this case, Wanyoike’s track guide is best friend Kibunja.
The duo will be taking part in the race as Goodwill Ambassadors for the ‘Seeing is Believing’ (SiB) campaign; Standard Chartered Bank’s global programme to raise $100 million to eliminate avoidable blindness by 2020.
As a part of ‘Seeing is Believing’, Wanyoike and Kibunja will visit the Rashid Pediatric Therapy Centre, various schools and Standard Chartered’s clients across Dubai to raise awareness about the programme and inspire people with their experiences.
“The Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon has always been a special event for us because of the enthusiasm of the local running community to be part of our advocacy,” Wanyoike said.
“We are therefore very excited to be back in Dubai to share our stories and experiences with the growing number of supporters of the ‘Seeing is Believing’ programme and to ultimately enjoy the fellowship with other running enthusiasts from the UAE and all over the world.”
The Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon is one of the highlights of the UAE sporting calendar, and the 2014 edition will be no different.
Apart from the iconic race, there will be a host of activities at the Marathon village on Friday, including the Penalty Shootout for kids with Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler.
A ‘Seeing is Believing’ tent will also be set up at the venue to create awareness about the initiative and raise funds.
The booth will be operated by Standard Chartered employees who will provide visitors with information about the programme and will have SiB merchandise for sale.
Last year, the Dubai Marathon enjoyed a record number of 24,000 runners registering for the three races. In addition to this, numerous records were set at the event.
The Dubai Marathon is also the world’s richest long distance running event and has been awarded Gold Label status from the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).
The event takes place on Friday, January 24 at 07:00. Registrations are open till the eve of the marathon.
For more information visit: www.dubaimarathon.org
