Guy Adola Leads 2019 Dubai Marathon Field in His Second Marathon

By Adam Kopet

Guy Adola is running this week's Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon, according to the IAAF.

This will be the Ethiopian distance runner's second marathon. He made his debut at the distance at the 2017 Berlin Marathon where he held close to eventual winner Eliud Kipchoge. His time of 2:03:46 is the fastest debut marathon ever run.

Since that day on the streets of Berlin, Adola has struggled. He did finish second at the 2018 Houston Half Marathon, running 1:00:15, but he only managed a 15th-place finish at a late summer half marathon in the Czech Republic. He had been scheduled to race the 2018 Frankfurt Marathon three months ago, but he was forced to withdraw due to illness.

Now Adola is set to run Friday's Dubai Marathon, which will take place Thursday evening in the U.S. due to time zones.

Also set to race in Dubai are last year's fourth- and fifth-place finishers, Asefa Mengstu and Sisay Lemma, both from Ethiopia. They finished last year's race in 2:04:06 and 2:04:08, respectively, breaking the previous course record.

The Dubai Marathon has become a favorite of Ethiopian marathoners. With the race falling early in the year, there are often surprise performances, making the race an intriguing one. Historically large payouts to the winner ($200,000) have also attracted top talent to the race in the past, however, this year the prize money was cut significantly. This year's winner will still be awarded $100,000.