Gete Wami: after a half million, a half marathon!
International Association of Athletics Foundation, Monaco - January 11, 2008
She’s won four World titles and several runner-up medals, an Olympic silver and two bronzes, as well as dozens of world class races. She recently added the considerable bonus of half a million dollars in winning the inaugural World Marathon Majors series. None of which has blunted Gete Wami’s ambition.
The Ethiopian goes into the second running of the big-money Ras Al Khaimah International Half Marathon on 8 February, intent on bringing her 21.1km time in line with her personal best 2.21.34 for the Marathon.
Last year’s women’s winner in RAK, as it is known locally in the United Arab Emirates, was Wami’s compatriot Berhane Adere, who ran an untroubled 70.58.
But with Kenyans, Salina Kosgei and Rita Jeptoo in the field this time, Wami will expect to be pushed to a faster time than her best of 70.22, which she ran en route to her Berlin 2006 marathon victory.
"That's one of the reasons why she's running," said her husband/coach, Getaneh Tessema, by telephone from the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa last night. "She's never really been in a fast, competitive half-marathon before. So, I would expect her to run much faster" ...