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Dubai: Henry Wanyoike, the current 5,000 and 10,000-metre Paralympic record holder, is set to return to Dubai for the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon 10km race on January 12, 2007.
Wanyoike, widely regarded as the best visually-impaired runner of all time, was being groomed as one of Kenya's next generation of world-class middle-distance runners when he suffered a stroke in 1995, losing 95 per cent of his vision overnight.
Since then, he has established himself as a pioneer in Paralympic athletics, setting the world marathon record for a visually-impaired runner in Hamburg in 2005 and winning either gold or silver in the marathon, half-marathon, 10km road race and in the 10,000, 5,000 and 1,500 metres during his career.
"Henry is a superb athlete and an inspirational character," said Niall McLoughlin, head of corporate affairs, Middle East and Pakistan, Standard Chartered Bank. "We look forward to welcoming him back at the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon - it's a massive endorsement of the event that an athlete of his quality continues to participate in the event."
January's marathon event promises to be the largest to date, with thousands of runners already registered across the three race categories: the 3km Seeing is Believing fun run; the 10km road race in which Wanyoike will participate and the full 42km marathon.
In addition to his own extensive charity work with visually-impaired people in Kenya, Wanyoike is also a Goodwill Ambassador for Standard Chartered's Seeing is Believing global initiative, which aims to restore the sight of 10 million people worldwide.
In addition to the three races at the event, the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon 2007 will create a carnival atmosphere at the start/finish line behind the Dubai World Trade Centre, with major attractions, including a painting competition for children across Dubai, and a secondary schools' Battle of the Bands competition.
Teams or individuals interested in registering for the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon 2007 can obtain further information by visiting www.dubaimarathon.org
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