DUBAI, Oct 2, 2008 (AFP) - Ethiopia's world record holder Haile Gebrselassie is to run in the Dubai Marathon on January 16 that carries prize money of up to three million dollars, organisers said on Thursday.

The city state has kept in contact with the runner since he won the last Dubai Marathon in January, when he almost broke the record, Ahmad Kamali told a press conference.

'Our team went to Germany last week to work out the final details for his participation in the next marathon,' the event coordinator said.

Prize money for the Dubai Marathon runs to two million dollars, with an extra million if a new record is set.

In what was his 26th world record or world best, Gebrselassie clocked a new record of 2hr 03min 59sec in Berlin on September 26, becoming the first runner to break the barrier of 2hr 04min.