A hub for runners

The easy travel links to Dubai make the city’s annual marathon a truly international event

Runners flock to the UAE for the Dubai Marathon.

Once the runners in tomorrow's Dubai Marathon cross the finish line, they will have deserved the chance to put their feet up and consider their achievement. For some of the international competitors, this reflection will be merely a brief respite before they head to the airport to fly home.

As we report in both the Sport section and also the Travel pages, there is a double appeal to Dubai’s marathon. Not only does this time of year offer ideal running temperatures and near-certain sunny days when many other places are wintry and bleak, the UAE’s status as one of the world’s top transportation hubs ensures that it is feasible for runners from around the region to fly here just to compete in the race.

In the time it will have taken some of the Dubai Marathon runners to complete the course, a flight of similar duration is enough to reach dozens of cities in Europe, Africa and Asia – and without anything like the level of exertion.