$1m incentive for breaking half-marathon world record

Shaikh Mohammed bin Hamad at the announcement. — Supplied photo

Shaikh Mohammed, also ordered, that participation is free for all runners in order to raise the number of runners in the event.

The organising committee chaired by Salem Zahmi, for its part, thanked and appreciated the initiative of Shaikh Mohammed to contribute to the success of the event which is being held for the third consecutive year under his support.

The organising committee vice president Saleh Mohammed Hassan said that this initiative will increase the number participants, especially from the public side.

The current race is the third after it was launched two years ago with the participation of the some leading international athletes.

On the other hand the official site of the event revealed a large turnout of participants, the number of registered so far was about 5,500 participants and is expected to rise to 7000.