By Eugene Harnan www.thenational.ae
DUBAI // Roads will be closed around Downtown Dubai and Al Satwa tomorrow morning for the Dubai Marathon.
The 42-kilometre race starts at 7am on Emaar Boulevard, which will be closed to traffic and is scheduled to reopen at 2pm, according to the race programme. The 10km race starts at 7.15am and the 3km fun-run starts at 10.30am.
Roads in Old Town will be closed from 4am to 2pm. Jumeirah Beach Road will be closed until mid-afternoon.
Runners were told roads will reopen six hours after the start of the race and were advised to use footpaths after that.
Organisers told race participants that footbridges on Burj Khalifa/Dubai Mall metro station and Business Bay metro station will open early, even though the metro does not operate until 2pm on Fridays. Participants can park in Al Wasl and walk over Sheikh Zayed Road to the starting line. Organisers also strongly advised competitors to take taxis to avoid delays looking for parking.
The RTA will announce more details later today on changes to bus routes and schedules as well as road closures tomorrow.
The race continues up Doha Road and turns on to 312 Street, which runs behind DIFC and Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.
It then turns left on to the D73, continues over the Trade Centre roundabout and down Al Diyafah Street in Al Satwa.
The race then turns right on to Jumeirah Beach Road for more than a kilometre as far as the end of D94 and the entrance to Dubai Dry Docks. The route then turns, going for about 12.5km as far as the Public Beach next to the Jumeirah Beach Hotel. It then turns back on the same route and continues back up Jumeirah Beach road, Al Diyafah Street, behind DIFC and back along Emaar Boulavard to the finish line.
It is the first time in its 13-year history that the race will start in Downtown Dubai. Previously, the starting line was in Media City and ran along Jumeirah Beach Road. More info
