ADNOC Abu Dhabi Marathon, organized by Abu Dhabi Sports Council, has revealed the total prize fund for the 2019 ADNOC Abu Dhabi Marathon at an exclusive press conference hosted by H.E. Aref Hamad Al Awani - General Secretary of Abu Dhabi Sports Council, and, Mr. Omar Suwaina Al Suwaidi, Executive Office Director of ADNOC.
The prize fund - which is one of the world’s largest - totals over $388,000 and has been increased for all race categories in this year’s ADNOC Abu Dhabi Marathon. Headlining the event, male and female winners of the 42.2km marathon will take home $100,000 each.
An all-new venue for the ADNOC Abu Dhabi Marathon event village was also announced at the press conference. ADNOC’s campus, next to Abu Dhabi’s famous landmark - ADNOC’s impressive headquarters - will play host to the event’s central hub where runners and spectators can enjoy a variety of family-focused fun activities. Located close to the Corniche and the start/finish line, this new venue will bring visitors even closer to the race action.
H.E Aref Al Awani, General Secretary of Abu Dhabi Sports Council said: “The prize fund announced today is one of the biggest in the world, and further confirms the ADNOC Abu Dhabi Marathon’s position as a world-class sporting event. In the Year of Tolerance in the UAE we are incredibly proud to be hosting an event which includes and rewards people from all corners of our diverse community. With our training programmes already underway we are committed to supporting runners of all abilities as they prepare to achieve their goals and we hope to inspire a future generation of runners to take part in the ADNOC Abu Dhabi Marathon in years to come.”
Omar Suwaina Al Suwaidi, Director, Executive Office Directorate at ADNOC, said: “At ADNOC, we have always been committed to bringing energy to life – because, put simply, our energy is the key to the UAE’s prosperity. Wherever there is energy, you will find us, and that is why we are so proud to be the title sponsor of the ADNOC Abu Dhabi Marathon."
“With this commitment in mind, many of you will have noticed that, during the past 12 months, the ADNOC corporate campus has been undergoing extensive renovations to create a best-in-class working environment for our employees, and an unrivalled guest experience for our visitors. Today, I’m delighted to announce that, from 2019 onwards, the ADNOC Marathon fan village – or ‘ADNOC Energy Zone’ – will be hosted within the grounds of our new campus, providing an enhanced experience for our athletes, their families, and the entire UAE community”, he added.
Training sessions, which kicked-off on 6th May, are running every Monday from 9:30pm – 10:30pm throughout Ramadan at Al Hudayriat Island. After the Eid holiday, Monday training sessions will move to 6.15am and a second weekly training session will be hosted on Wednesdays – starting on 5th June - at Zayed Sports City from 7:45pm to 9:00pm.
Both training sessions will be hosted by ADNOC Abu Dhabi Marathon’s official coach - a member of USA Track & Field Association (USATF) and multiple winner of USATF long distance championships.
The 2019 ADNOC Abu Dhabi Marathon will take place on Friday 6th December following the UAE’s 48th National Day celebrations. Registrations are open, and every participant will receive a free race shirt and medal.