Ethiopian Smashes Record At Big Sur Half Marathon

The previous record was four years old and held by Jen Rhines.

A 22-year-old Ethiopian woman is the new owner of the Big Sur Half Marathon course record. Belainesh Gebre broke away from a pack around the 2-mile mark and never looked back, easily winning the women’s portion of Sunday’s 8th annual Big Sur Half Marathon on Monterey Bay with a record-smashing time of 1:09:43.

The previous record was 1:12:18, set by Jen Rhines in 2006. Along with taking home the winner’s check of $2,000, Gebre also picked up a bonus $1,000 for setting a new record.

“I’m so happy,” said a beaming Gebre afterwards. “I wanted to break the record.”

Gebre trains in Flagstaff, Arizona and enjoyed Monterey’s low altitude “That makes it a lot easier,” said Gebre, who beat the women’s field by nearly 10 minutes. “There’s like zero elevation here. I expected it to be easy.”

Kelly Calway of Manitou Springs, Colorado came in second. Calway, a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, was competing to prepare for the upcoming California International Marathon in December–a race she hopes will give her an Olympic-Trials-qualifying mark.

For More: The Herald