In 1976, the New York City Marathon changed its course. Instead of running loops around Central Park, race directors created a course that meandered through all five boroughs of the city. In so doing, planners engineered the first modern city marathon and caused an explosion of similar events around the world. That more than 50,000 runners ran in yesterday’s event shows the enduring appeal.
While the New York marathon is one of the high points of the international running calendar, it also marks the transition into the winter months and the beginning of our own race season.
From the Dubai marathon to one of the world’s fastest half marathons in Ras Al Khaimah, the local running scene hits its stride in the winter. With great weather, good tourism infrastructure and unrivalled aviation connectivity, we could be one of the premier destinations for winter races.
New York has shown us that such events have a unique branding potential for the world’s great cities – Abu Dhabi could follow suit.
