Great Ethiopian Run will take place Sunday

ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA (EthiopiaRun.org) — Marathon runner Chala Dechasa will headline the men’s field at the 2009 Ethiopian Airlines Great Ethiopian Run international road race in Addis Ababa on Sunday November 22nd 2009 in what is expected to be another competitive elite contest among Ethiopia’s top club runners.

The 21-year old, who had finished second in the 2008 Amsterdam Marathon, shocked many observers last year when beating experienced runners like Deriba Merga and Gebregziabher Gebremariam to take the first major victory of his career. Dechasa has followed up that victory with victory in the Ethiopian Mountain Running Championships, a 12km mountain race in Addis Ababa earlier this year, but has struggled to match his winning exploits over the full marathon.

His closest challenger is expected to be Feyisa Lelisa, who finished second last year, and finished fourteenth in the 2009 World Cross Country Championships in Amman, Jordan. Lelisa has since made his debut over the full marathon clocking 2:12.24 to take victory in Dublin, Ireland last month.

The top two finishers from last year’s race will not have an easy ride this year as an emerging group of track and road runners will hope to take aim at the spotlight. The track contingent is led by national 3000m steeplechase record holder Yacob Jarso, who finished fourth in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and fifth in the 2009 world championships over the steeplechase. Former world junior 10,000m champion and 2008 world junior cross country champion Ibrahim Jeylan; 2007 national 5000m champion Dejen Gebremeskel; 2008 world junior 10,000m bronze medallist Hunegnaw Mesfin; and steeplechaser Abraham Kabeto hope to translate their form from the track to the road. Dereje Hailegiorgis and African junior 5000m champion Abera Kuma, who finished fifth and eighth respectively in the corresponding race last year; are also runners to watch out.

An increasing number of road runners also hope to use the race as a speed test for upcoming marathons. Leading the way are Eshetu Wondimu, who finished 3rd in the 2009 Dubai Marathon in 2:08.03; Tilahun Regassa, a 59:36 half marathon runner who finished 11th in the world half marathon championships in October; and Solomon Tsige, who won the Hamburg Marathon earlier this year in 2:11.12.

As is the tradition of the Great Ethiopian Run, a strong Kenyan contingent will bid to create a surprise in the home of Ethiopians. No Kenyan man or woman has won the Great Ethiopian Run in the previous eight editions with Nathan Naibei’s second place finish in 2005 the best result by a non-Ethiopian in the event’s history.

As many as four Kenyans will line up in this year’s race hoping to better Naibei’s achievement. The leading runner is Edwin Kimaiyo, who clocked 61.04 to finish tenth in the Berlin half marathon in April this year. Fellow half marathoner Geoffrey Ngugi, who has a personal best of 62.18 for the half marathon; world junior 5000m silver medallist Kennedy Kithuka; and Gordon Muji Mahugu complete the line-up.