Ethiopians Melak and Dessie win the men’s and women’s titles at the 2026 Dubai Marathon

Ethiopian runner Nebret Melak was crowned champion of the 2026 Dubai Marathon in the men’s elite race, which was held today, as part of the 25th edition of the event, achieving the title in his first participation, becoming the sixth runner in a row to win the men’s race title in his first participation.

The 25th edition of the Dubai Marathon, which was held with the support of the Dubai Sports Council, and whose competitions extended to the finish line at the Dubai Police Academy, witnessed a total participation of 20,000 runners in various races, including the 10 km and 4 km races, including a record number of 4,000 participants in the full marathon race.

Milack finished the 42.195-kilometre race in a time of 2 hours and 4 minutes, confirming his superiority in his first marathon experience, while his compatriot Anchinalo Desi continued her brilliance in the women’s race, achieving her third consecutive victory in the marathon races, after breaking her personal record of 2 hours, 18 minutes and 31 seconds, with the two times approved as the best world records recorded in the marathon race during the year 2026.

Melak became the sixth Ethiopian runner to win the men’s race title in Dubai during his first participation, while the number of new winners in the men’s and women’s races together reached 11 runners, taking advantage of the fast and flat nature of the marathon course.

Ethiopian Yassin Haji came in second place with a time of 2:05:52, while runner John Hakizimana came in third with a time of 2:06:04, setting a new record for Rwanda, under ideal weather conditions for the race.

In the women’s race, Dessie performed exceptionally well, finishing the race in first place, while Ethiopians Moleh Dikibo and Fantu Worku came in second and third place with times of 2:18:43 and 2:19:08, respectively.

After the conclusion of the main race, Saeed Hareb, Secretary General of the Dubai Sports Council, in the presence of Counselor Ahmed Al Kamali, General Coordinator of the Dubai Marathon, crowned the winners in the men’s and women’s categories.

After his victory, Milak said that his preparation was perfect, and that his goal from the beginning was to win in his first participation, indicating that his future ambition is to break the world record, pointing out that he succeeded in equaling the third fastest time in the history of the Dubai Marathon, with a difference of only 26 seconds from the track record.

For her part, Desi confirmed that she was confident of her ability to win in the final stages of the race, considering that setting a new personal record was an important step in her career, as she looked forward to achieving better times in the future.

Counselor Ahmed Al Kamali, General Coordinator of the Dubai Marathon 2026, confirmed that the results of the twenty-fifth edition were positive and satisfactory at various levels, pointing out that the time recorded in the marathon race is the second best time in the history of the event, and reflects the high technical level and strength of competition.

Al-Kamali explained that participation in the various races was special, as the 10-kilometre race witnessed the participation of nearly 9,000 runners, while the number of participants in the full marathon race reached nearly 4,000 runners, stressing that these numbers reflect the great turnout and organizational success of the event, pointing out that the top ten in the marathon race all recorded times of less than two hours and eight minutes.

In the 10-kilometre race, the first three places in the men’s category were taken by Bulgarian Miroslav Spasov, Emirati Saeed Al Nuaimi, and Briton Elliot Blair, recording times of 31:40, 31:50, and 31:58 minutes, respectively, while Croatian Shay Faber won first place in the women’s category, followed by Frenchwoman Chloe Hamard, and then Jordanian Hiba Hammoud Amin, after recording times of 36:46 and 37:06. and 37:15 minutes respectively.

The top three place holders in the men’s and women’s categories received financial prizes amounting to $80,000 for first place, $40,000 for second place, and $20,000 for third place.