Peter Connerton, Dubai Marathon, photo from You Tube
Peter Connerton is the Race Director of Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon. He has done this job for 20 years and watched it grow from a minor marathon to the top rated marathon in the world. The marathon is about fast, deep finishes. In 2018, he had 7 men under 2:05, and 4 women under 2:19. In 2019, the Dubai had 2 men under 2:04 and 2 under 2:18 for women.
Why is Dubai so successful?
Like Mr. Connerton, the Dubai Marathon is a bit eccentric. No appearance money, the athletes put it on the line, and fine athletes from Ethiopia and Kenya show up each year, to put themselves on the map and pick up a strong pay day.
In 2019, the weather was near perfect, the course is fast, and the competition did not relent.
This interview was done on January 25, 2019, about two hours after the race, and Peter Connerton was just coming down from his race attitude. Thanks to Peter Connerton for his time and Brian Eder for producing the interview.
