Dibaba Taking On The Half Marathon

The Ethiopian gold medalist is heading to the roads.

Even though she is the queen on the track, Ethiopia’s Tirunesh Dibaba will be trying her luck at the half-marathon on the roads this weekend. Dibaba is competing in the Great North Run in Newcastle, England.

The race will be Dibaba’s debut at the 13.1-mile distance.

Dibaba is primarily a track runner and has little experience on the roads. However, she did run a rare road 15K in 2009 and set a world record.

Dibaba has joined a solid field at the Great North Run that includes the likes of Olympic and World Marathon champions Tikki Gelana and Edna Kiplagat.

She hopes to follow in the footsteps of her cousin, Derartu Tulu, a runner who made the successful transition from the tracks to the roads and went on to enjoy wins at the New York, Tokyo, and London Marathons.

Dibaba is a three-time Olympic gold medalist.

The Bupa Great North Run is an IAAF Gold Label Race.

For More: IAAF