Tens of thousands of people woke up at the crack of dawn on Friday, slipped on their running shoes and headed off to Umm Suqeim Road to run like they were being chased for a couple of hours straight.
With the 42-kilometre race now over, the 20th Dubai Marathon began at 6am, for wheelchair and elite athletes, and 7am for the masses. Temperatures were cool and humid but a two to three-hour run kept racers warm.
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Getaneh Molla wins the Dubai Marathon. Chris Whiteoak/The National -
Getaneh Molla is congratulated. Chris Whiteoak/The National -
Ruth Chepngetich wins the Dubai Marathon. Chris Whiteoak/The National -
Ruth Chepngetich wins the Dubai Marathon. Chris Whiteoak/The National -
Ethiopia fans celebrate. Chris Whiteoak/The National -
Ethiopia fans celebrate. Chris Whiteoak/The National -
Ethiopia fans celebrate. Chris Whiteoak/The National -
The elite runners start the Dubai Marathon 2019. Chris Whiteoak / The National -
The start of the Dubai Marathon. Chris Whiteoak/The National -
The start of the Dubai Marathon. Chris Whiteoak/The National -
People run past Wild Wadi Waterpark during the Dubai Marathon . Chris Whiteoak/The National -
One runner wore an American Football uniform during the marathon. Chris Whiteoak/The National -
People run in the Dubai Marathon. Chris Whiteoak/The National -
Runners pass by Burj Al Arab. Chris Whiteoak/The National -
People run in the Dubai Marathon. Chris Whiteoak/The National -
A group of runners pass Burj Al Arab. Chris Whiteoak/The National -
People run in the Dubai Marathon. Chris Whiteoak/The National -
The start of the 10k race at the Dubai Marathon. Chris Whiteoak/The National -
The start of the 10k race. Chris Whiteoak/The National -
People run in the Dubai Marathon. Chris Whiteoak/The National -
People run in the Dubai Marathon. Chris Whiteoak/The National -
A competitor in the mens wheelchair race at the Dubai Marathon. Chris Whiteoak/The National -
Dubai, United Arab Emirates - January 25, 2019: People run in the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon 2019. Friday, January 25th, 2019 at Jumeirah, Dubai. Chris Whiteoak/The National
Participants from around the globe have spent months training for the race, which also includes 10km and 4km route options.
Crowds of hundreds of people also turned up to support the runners, some handing out samples of fruit and chocolate to keep participants fuelled.
The course is almost completely flat, making it one of the world's quickest marathons and therefore a likely setting for world records to be broken, as they were by Getaneh Tamire Molla, in the men's race, and Kenyan Chepngetich, in the women's race, on Friday.
Motorists were warned in advance of the race that roads along Al Sufouh and Jumeirah Beach Road would be closed from Thursday night to 1pm on Friday.
Jumeirah Beach Road is closed between Madinat Jumeirah and Jumeirah Beach Park.
Motorists can expect a number of diversions and heavy traffic in that area, though Al Wasl Road remains open.
