The Dubai Creek Striders Half Marathon saw a new winner in the men’s field, while a familiar face continued to dominate the women’s category over the weekend.
Brahim Slimani led the men and captured first place overall in a time of 1h09m52s, finishing ahead of over 1,600 runners. The Moroccan earned the top spot after it first eluded him in 2013, falling just 18 seconds shy of leader Ismail Ssenyange, who didn’t take part this year.
Anne-Mari Hyrylainen, meanwhile, set the pace for the women for her fourth-straight win, crossing the finish line in 1:17.44. Originally a member of the Creek Striders, the Finn has improved her time in each of the past four years, with her latest mark nearly a minute faster than last year.
Overall, Creek Striders chairman Marek Szymanek was pleased with the outcome of the half marathon.
“The race was a grand success,” said Szymanek. “It went extremely well and we were very, very pleased with the feedback we received, both during the race, after the race and also on the registration website.
“We have to usually cap registration around 2,000. This year we had 2,070 registrations and had over 1,600 runners on the start line compared to last year when we had a little over 1,500. It’s normal to have a drop rate of 20 to 25 per cent.
“It’s extremely popular and sold out I think eight weeks before closing. So, we probably had a wait list of 400 to 500 people that we unfortunately had to turn down.”
Szymanek feels the race will continue to grow and hopes to increase the field in the next half marathon by 10 per cent.
A new challenge, however, may affect the number of runners going forward. With the area between Al Maktoum Bridge and Floating Bridge in Dubai under significant development, Szymanek says the race route may have to change to keep runners safe.
“We will have to see if we can accommodate larger numbers,” said Szymanek.
“The reason is that we may possibly, due to the development in Dubai, have to change the route. The route obviously is a huge part of the race itself and if we’re starting to change major components, we have to be careful with the numbers.
“We do not want to pick a new route. We’re very happy with the existing route and it’s one of the most beautiful you can have in Dubai, but runner safety is paramount and we can’t compromise on that.”
The popular half marathon will return again next December for another version of the popular run.
For full results, visit www.premiertiming.com.
