Hanna Lindholm, photo coutesy of STANDARD CHARTERED DUBAI MARATHON
We have said, for several years now, that European and US marathoners, looking for a fast qualifier, should consider the STANDARD CHARTERED DUBAI MARATHON . This is a fine example of an elite coming to Dubai and getting the coveted qualifying mark for a European, Olympic, US or World Championships.
It is not just about the course, it is about the level of competition, the near perfect weather, and a good time for early season marathon. The following release, should encourage some coaches and athletes to put Dubai in their future racing plans. To learn more, go to http://www.dubaimarathon.org.
Hope to see you there!
SWEDE DREAMS OF OLYMPIC QUALIFICATION AT STANDARD CHARTERED DUBAI MARATHON
Dubai (UAE): Swedish elite athlete Hanna Lindholm will target a place at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics when she competes in the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon on January 24, thanks to a coveted invitation from the event organisers in the UAE.
Hannah Lindholm, photo by STANDARD CHARTERED DUBAI MARATHON
The experienced Swede is no stranger to the roads of Dubai having competed in the Marathon in 2018 as a private entry when she smashed her personal best by four minutes and qualified for the European Championships in Berlin.
This time, it’s qualification for the Olympic Games that is paramount and the 40-year-old from Stockholm is focused on making the 2:28:00 mark that would seal qualification for the world’s biggest athletics event in Japan.
“I really like the straight and fast course in Dubai and wanted to run a marathon as early as possible in 2020,” said Lindholm, who has improved her Marathon personal best by almost 15 minutes in five years and combines athletics with a career as a Quality Assurance Manager in a pharmaceutical company.
“My hope is to qualify for the Olympics and while my personal record is 2:29:34, the Swedish Olympic Qualifying Time I need to beat is 2:28:00. I was really happy to receive the invitation since I decided very late that I wanted to run in Dubai and I know the elite field there has the fastest runners in the world. Now that I know I am in the field, I will train for a couple of weeks in Florida before the event as the weather conditions in Sweden are not so good at this time of year.”
Held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, the 2020 Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon will see Lindholm aim to maintain a recent run of superb form as she continues her progress at the classic distance.
