Dubai: Defending champions Tamirat Tola and Worknesh Degefa will face a powerful elite field of Olympians and major city Marathon winners with more than 40 international titles between them when the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon is held on Friday.

Twelve months ago, the Ethiopian pair dominated both the men and women’s races in the IAAF Gold Label event with Tola setting a new course record in a time of 2h:04m:11s — currently the tenth fastest marathon time in history.

This year, Tola and Degefa return to defend their titles in the 19th staging of the Middle East’s biggest mass participation sporting event, held under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, and under the aegis of the Dubai Sports Council.

“The 2018 race will be the 14th successive year of the Bank being title sponsors of this mega event and we are very excited as its popularity has grown substantially over these years,” said Julian Wynter, CEO for Standard Chartered Bank, UAE.

Following his win in Dubai last year - a victory that saw him break the course record by 12 seconds - Tola underlined his growing stature by taking silver in the marathon at the World Championships in London in August.

He returns to Dubai as the fastest man in the field and will be aiming to see off the challenge of the likes of 2015 Tokyo Marathon winner Endeshaw Negesse and half-marathon specialist Mosinet Geremew, both also from Ethiopia.

In the women’s line-up, 2017 winner Degefa may hold the champion’s bragging rights but she is only the fourth fastest in the field with three-time Dubai winner and former London Marathon champion Aselefech Mergia and ex-world champion and Oympic bronze medalist Mare Dibaba just two of the big guns ahead of her in the table of personal bests.