Got any plans tonight? Me neither! Lucky for us, the Dubai Marathon starts at 7am tomorrow over in the United Arab Emirates, which when subtracted by the 10-hour time zone difference equals a 9pm CT start for those of us who love some 26.2 here in the States. And even though a Thursday night marathon may not be your originally scheduled programming for this evening, the quality of these fields should make you reconsider. Here’s why you should watch:

 

SIX MEN UNDER 2:06

This race may not be as deep as London 2015, but it features a remarkable 20 men with PB’s under 2:10. Six of those men have gone sub-2:06, among them Kenenisa Bekele (2:05:04) aka the best distance runner ever. Mr. Bekele is looking to set a new PB, and he wouldn’t mind picking up a victory in Dubai either. The course record of 2:04:23 is well within his reach, even after his mediocre fourth place finish in Chicago (2:05:51). Kenny B will surely have the Ethiopian national record (2:03:59) in the back of his mind, but Haile G’s record is most likely safe for at least another marathon. 

 

Here’s a brief summary of the other names to watch:

 

Lelisa Desisa 25, PB 2:04:45

Desisa made his debut in Dubai in 2013, and came away with win in 2:04:45. The Ethiopian won Boston that same year, and most recently finished second in New York last November. The 25-year old has a 59:30 half marathon PB. 

 

Berhanu Shiferaw 21, PB 2:04:48

Shiferaw has been running marathons since he was a teenager, which is apparently totally normal in Ethiopia. The then 20-year old Shiferaw ran his 2:04:48 PB in Dubai 2013, coming up just three seconds short of his countryman Desisa. B Shiffy did not race in 2014 due to a calf injury, so this one may be more of a rust buster.

 

Feyisa Lilesa 24, PB 2:04:52

Lilesa didn’t come close to his 2:04:52 PB in either 2013 or 2014, partly because he tends to DNF a lot. It’s tough to make a living as a runner if you’re not finishing races, and Lilesa looked like he was trying to do just that when he failed to finish 3/4 marathons from 2013 to 2014. He has never won a major marathon, but did place 2nd in Chicago in 2012. 

 

You can watch the Dubai Marathon tonight starting at 9pm CT. WATCH HERE!