DUBAI // More than 30,000 people ran, jogged, walked and dragged their way across the finish line of the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon on Friday morning.

Hundreds of Ethiopians in the stands and around the course created a vibrant atmosphere with songs and traditional dances as they supported their athletes.

The men’s race was won by Ethiopian Lemi Hayle in 2 hours 5 minutes and 28 seconds.

Some of the biggest cheers were for Aselefech Medessa Mergia, also from Ethiopia, who won a neck-and-neck race down the home straight against Gladys Kiprono of Kenya, in a time of 2 hours 20 minutes and 2 seconds.

Away from the elite athletes the marathon, which took in a large stretch of Jumeirah Beach Road, provided an opportunity for amateur runners as well as fun runners to be part of an internationally recognised event. A 10K road race and a 4K fun run took place after the marathon runners had started.

The marathon itself attracts many runners from overseas.

Henrik Orre, 39, flew in from Sweden to take part and finished in 2 hours, 36 minutes.

“To be honest, I’m a little disappointed because I was aiming for 2 hours 30 minutes,” said the general practitioner.

“It’s better when there are a group of you running because you can encourage each other so, for most of the race, I was on my own until the last bit,” the Swede said.

He managed to team up with Shohei Higuchi, 27, from Japan, and the pair helped each other through to the finish line.

Mr Higuchi, who has taken part in the Boston and Vancouver marathons in the past five years, was impressed by his first visit to Dubai.

“The conditions were fantastic and I really enjoyed the race,” said Mr Higuchi, who works as an orthopaedic doctor in the Nagano Prefecture, Japan.

“I’ve been running for about six years, mainly for the health benefits but also for the fact that it allows you to set goals and achieve them.”

Ali Al Zarrad, a 30-year-old from Wimbledon, in London, works as a lawyer in Dubai and finished in 2 hours and 54 minutes. “I really enjoyed the event today and improving on my time makes it even better,” he said.

“I’ve been running for about three years now and not only is it a great way to become and stay fit, but you also de-stress.”

Sara Holmgren, 24, from Sweden, had combined a holiday with the marathon. And after having completed the race in about 2 hours and 59 minutes was looking forward to enjoying the sights in the emirate.

Former British Olympic gold medallist Sebastian Coe, who was applauding athletes at the finish line, praised the organisers of the marathon.

“It’s just a fantastic event and the atmosphere, particularly from the Ethiopian fans, has been absolutely magnificent throughout,” he said.

Lord Coe was impressed at the rapid growth of the marathon and said it had a bright future.

“I remember when it first started 15 years ago and there were perhaps 50 athletes taking part,” he said.

“You look now and it is a fixture in the world calendar and attracts some of the best athletes in the world.”

nhanif@thenational.ae