At the Dubai Marathon, Tigist Ketema, a 25-year-old Ethiopian runner, set an extraordinary unofficial world record for her debut, completing the race in 2:16:07. The marathon's course, known for its flat terrain along Jumeirah Beach Road, witnessed Ketema becoming the eighth fastest woman in marathon history. She also broke the course record for Dubai by 61 seconds. The event featured excellent weather conditions, which saw Ethiopians Ruti Aga and Dera Dida, the defending champion, secure the second and third places with times of 2:18:09 and 2:19:29, respectively. German athlete Melat Kejeta finished fourth with a time of 2:21:47, qualifying for the Olympics.
In the men's category, 19-year-old Ethiopian junior Addisu Gobena achieved a remarkable debut victory, finishing in 2:05:01 and earning the top prize of 80,000 US Dollars. His compatriots Lemi Dumecha and Dejene Megersa, another first-time marathoner, took second and third places with times of 2:05:20 and 2:05:42, respectively. German runner Samuel Fitwi came in fifth, setting a personal best of 2:06:27 and securing his Olympic Games qualification.