Inspirational running duo Henry Wanyoike and Joseph Kibunja back at the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon 2015

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 15 January 2015 – Standard Chartered announced today the return of the legendary road race duo Henry Wanyoike and Joseph Kibunja, who will be running in the 10k race at the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon 2015 taking place on Friday 23rd January. Visually impaired Henry, the world record holder of the 5,000m and 10,000m events at the Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 Paralympics, and his long-time running partner and childhood friend Joseph are taking part as Goodwill Ambassadors for ‘Seeing is Believing’ (SiB), Standard Chartered Bank’s global programme to raise USD 100 million to eliminate avoidable blindness by 2020.

Henry runs in races while being connected by a tether on the wrist to Joseph, who guides him, without breaking stride, through the obstacles, turns or when to accelerate along the route.

As ‘Seeing is Believing’ ambassadors, Henry and Joseph will be visiting schools and some of Standard Chartered’s clients across the UAE to raise awareness about the programme and inspire other people with their experience. Henry and Joseph will also be visiting Dubai Chamber of Commerce, Rashid Paediatric Therapy Centre in Dubai and the Future Centre in Abu Dhabi to inspire children with special needs.

Nor Alizulrainee, who will make his Dubai debut this year, is yet another talented Visually Impaired who flew from Brunei to run the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon this year.

Henry Wanyoike said: “The Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon has always been a special event for us because of the enthusiasm of the local running community to be part of our advocacy. We are therefore very excited to be back in Dubai to share our stories and experiences with the growing number of supporters of the ‘Seeing is Believing’ programme and to ultimately enjoy the fellowship with other running enthusiasts from the UAE and all over the world.”

Standard Chartered has been the title sponsor for the Dubai marathon for the past 11 years. The Bank is the title sponsor of nine marathons across four continents. The marathons characterise the five values of the Bank: Courageous, Responsive, International, Creative, Trustworthy; and further positions Standard Chartered in the market as being ‘Here for good’.

As well as being the richest event of its kind in the world, the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon was the first Middle East marathon to be awarded Gold Label status from the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and boasts a set of winning times that make it one of the best and fastest races in the world.

Held under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council, the 2015 Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon will feature the classic marathon as well as a 10km Road Race and 4km Fun Run.