Ethiopians Blossom in 10-Miler
Washington Post, DC - April 2, 2007

Seconds after breaking the tape in a blistering 46 minutes 1 second, Tadesse Tola was in the finishing chute embracing the women's winner, fellow Ethiopian Teyba Erkesso, at the 35th Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile run in West Potomac Park yesterday.

"I was very happy to see he won," Erkesso said through an interpreter. "He has been my friend for a long time -- six years. He is my teammate."

Erkesso, 24, who started with the elite women 10 minutes before the rest of the field, finished a few minutes ahead of Tola with a dominating solo effort of 51:44, the fastest women's time in the Cherry Blossom race since Colleen De Reuck, from South Africa, set the then-world record of 51:16 in 1998 ...