Jessica Kodan, Manager, Events and Community Engagement, Dubai Holding, photo by Larry Eder
The success of the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon is many fold. The race is one of the fastest and most competitive races on the planet for elite athletes. The 4k, 10k, and marathons give athletes, fast and slow, old and young, new to the sport and old to the sport, a chance to compete on a fast and gentle course, in the most running favorable weather, at the most running favorable time, in the Middle East.
But, in my mind, what is fascinating the is minor miracle that sponsor Dubai Holdings has done. In 2019, 200 Emerati women ran in one of the featured events in the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon events of 4k, 10k, marathon and wheelchair marathon. That was a 21 percent increase over 2018.
Dubai Holding, the company that invests in the UAE, and has many of the most amazing buildings in Dubai under their ownership and management, uses the Dubai Marathon as a way to instill fitness ideals and pride in the local Emerati community.
Dubai Holding has ambitious goals, as both Jessica Kodan and Khalid Al Malik noted, ” We look forward to seeing record numbers of Emirati’s on the start line on Friday and hope that one day, the winner of the full marathon will be a UAE National.”
We thank Jessica Kodan for her time and the discussion on the success of the Emirati participation program. The interview is positive and informative. It was great to see a company at Dubai Holding, a major sponsor of the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon.