iPhone | iPad
Android
Huawei
The champion of this week's tournament will earn invites to both The Masters and The Open
KT APPDOWNLOAD
World and Olympic champions to compete at Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon
The Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon will also offer 10km, 5km and 2km runs for athletes of all ages and abilities
Former half marathon world record holder Ababel Yeshaneh. — Supplied photo
The powerful list of elites confirmed for the 2024 Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon continues to grow with former world marathon champion Tamirat Tola, Chicago Marathon winner Seifu Tura and former half marathon world record holder Ababel Yeshaneh joining the starting line-up.
The 17th edition of the event on February 24 will read like a Who’s Who of international distance running as a wealth of elites take advantage of the beautiful weather conditions in the countdown to both the London Marathon and the Paris Olympics.
Hosted by the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA), the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon will see Tola make his debut in the emirate just three months after winning the 2023 New York Marathon.
The Ethiopian has a personal best of 59:13 and is no stranger to the flat, fast roads of the Middle East having won the Dubai Marathon in 2017.
Fellow Ethiopian Seifu Tura returns to the race route on the iconic Al Marjan Island with a half marathon personal best of 58:36, which he set when finishing fourth at the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon two years ago.
Now 26, Tura is an established distance runner with a number of impressive results on his CV most notably a superb victory in the 2021 Chicago Marathon.
He also has four other top six finishes in Major marathons including a runners-up spot in Chicago in 2022 and two fifth place finishes in London and Chicago last year.
On the women’s side, Ababel Yeshaneh will return to the scene of one of her greatest victories next month. The 32-year-old Ethiopian will kick off her 2024 season in Ras Al Khaimah and has fond memories of Al Marjan Island having set the then Half Marathon World Record of 64:31 when she claimed the women’s title there in 2020.
That time remains her personal best at the distance, although in the full marathon she also has two runner-up finishes to her name in Chicago (2019) and Boston (2022) as well as a third place finish at the New York Marathon in 2021.
The three Ethiopians will join elite fields that already include men’s defending champion Benard Kibet Koech (PB 58:45) and 2017 Ras Al Khaimah winner, reigning Olympic marathon champion and three-time World Half Marathon champion Peres Jepchirchir (PB 65:06).
As well as a wealth of elite distance runners, the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon will also offer races at 10km, 5km and 2km runs for athletes of all ages and abilities. Registration is open at rakhalfmarathon.com.
ALSO READ:
More news from Sports
His strategy involves investing in modern amenities, expanding instructional programs, and highlighting the course's unique features in Dubai's competitive golf landscape
Rory McIlroy will be joined by several stars including UAE-based Tommy Fleetwood at the Old Course at St Andrews, Scotland
A 32-year-old Dubai Golden Visa Awardee, Stalter has three professional wins including the 2020 Euram Bank Open and two Challenge Tour titles
There will also be a live music concert alongside the thrilling Padel action
Anis Akbar, who has already achieved podium finishes, reveals how he deals with hostile drivers on track
Mutombo, an eight-time NBA all-star, passed away surrounded by his family after a battle with brain cancer
Playing in his homeland, Slovenia, captain Klemen Prepelic led from the front with 23 points