Dubai, Sunday, February 1, 2026, 0900gmt
If there’s a soundtrack to the annual Dubai Marathon, it is the Ethiopian national anthem; so frequently have athletes from the East African nation won the event. ‘March Forward Dear Mother Ethiopia’ resounded twice again this morning around the parade ground of the Dubai Police Academy – the impressive new start and finish area for the race – because Nibret Melak and Anchinalu Dessie won the men’s and women’s races, in exactly two hours and four minutes, and 2.18.31 respectively. Their victories in this 25th anniversary event bring the national tally to 19 for the women and 18 for the men.
In making it six in a row for Ethiopian debutant men in Dubai, Melak’s victory was particularly impressive. He was part of an unusually large group of 20 who went through halfway in 62.07; and they were still pretty much all in contention until the last pacemaker dropped out at 35k. That, as usual was a signal for the pace to drop as well, with potential winners reluctant to take up the baton and expose themselves to attack by predators biding their time. Melak had no such qualms. After a 36th kilometre in exactly three minutes, he ran the next one ten seconds faster, and looked so good and full of running in doing so that it was clear that no one was going to challenge him over the last half dozen kilometres. He only faltered slightly, tiring in the last kilometre; but by then the job was well done, and he crossed the line almost two minutes to the good over his training partner Yasin Haji, who finished second in 2.05.52, with third place going to the exuberant Rwandan John Hakizimana, who finished exhausted but happy when he learned that his third place time of 2.06.04 had broken the national record by 50 seconds.
‘I didn’t really know what to expect in my first marathon,’ said Melak via an interpreter afterwards. ‘My coach said he thought I could do 2.03 something, and fortunately he was following the race on a bicycle so he could encourage me; he helped me a lot. We had planned for me to try and breakaway at 32 kilometres, but the pacemaker stayed until 35 kilometres, so I waited until then.’ He even ventured, ‘My big goal is to break the world record,’ but at 2.00.35 to the sadly deceased Kelvin Kiptum, that won’t be anywhere near as easy as Melak made his debut look.
The coach in question, Gemedu Dedefo had more reasons to be satisfied, because not only are both winners his trainees, so are both runners up. But he clearly listens to his athletes’ concerns, because he admitted after her victory that he didn’t want Dessie to compete again so soon, following her victory in the Beijing Marathon three months ago. ‘She convinced me she was OK, and she proved it, but I don’t want them to run again soon, like in the spring marathons (London, Boston, etc). I prefer to wait until autumn’.
If Melak was following a tradition, albeit recent of debutant winners in Dubai, Dessie exhibited a habit that many athletes can only envy. She knows how to win. Three marathons so far; three victories; beginning in Seville 11 months ago, in 2.22.17; followed by Beijing in early November in 2.26.08. ‘But this was the best, because it was the fastest,’ she said, having taken three and a half minutes off her former record. ‘But it was also the hardest, because my friend (Muliye Dekebo) was still with me two kilometres from the end.’ But Dekebo had to stop 1600 metres from the finish when her breakfast made a reappearance. She rallied sufficiently to take second in 2.18.43, also a personal best and still well ahead of pre-race favourite Fantu Worku, who never looked comfortable after halfway, yet finished third in 2.19.08, another personal best.
The weather conditions were some of the best in the history of the event, with 14C (57F) at the 05.45am start, barely rising two degrees by the time of the elite finishes. The Dubai Marathon organisers now have a race of their own; to clear up after this 25th anniversary event, and take off to the neighbouring emirate of Ras Al Khaimah where they also stage the RAK half-marathon in just 13 days’ time, on February 14. Stay tuned!
RESULTS
MEN
1 Nisbet MELAK ETH 2.04.00 80,000 USD
2 Yasin HAJI ETH 2.05.52 40,000
3 John HAKIZIMANA RWA 2.06.04 20,000
4 Gizealew AYANA ETH 2.06.48 10,000
5 Molalign FANTAHUN ETH 2.06.48 5,000
6 Jiregna GELETA ETH 2.06.57 4,000
7 Berehanu TSEGU ETH 2.07.13 3,000
8 Gadissa TAFA ETH 2.07.51 2,500
9 Dechasa ALEMU ETH 2.08.21 2,000
10 Belay BEZABEH ETH 2.08.23 1,500
WOMEN
1 Anchinalu DESSIE ETH 2.18.31 80,000
2 Muliye DEKEBO ETH 2.18.43 40,000
3 Fantu WORKU ETH 2.19.08 20,000
4 Tinngo MULU ETH 2.21.12 10,000
5 Maritu KETEMA ETH 2.21.52 5,000
6 Askale ALEMEYU ETH 2.22.56 4,000
7 Aberash SHILIMA ETH 2.23.04 3,000
8 Fantu SHUGI ETH 2.23.29 2,500
9 Elefiniesh DEMISE ETH 2.23.30 2,000
10 Abebech AFEWORK ETH 2.23.52 1,500