Yirefu Birhanu Hometown: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Age: 21 Personal best: 2:09:01 (Seoul, 2007) Career notes: New to the marathon distance, Yirefu Birhanu has improved dramatically from his 2006 Baltimore Marathon win. A junior runner of some note, Birhanu says, “My proudest accomplishment was in 2004 when I placed fourth in the Ethiopian National Cross Country Championships. I was asked to represent Ethiopia in the World Junior Cross Country Championships and was so happy.” At that race he placed a solid 10th and since then has made a successful transition to the roads, placing first at the 2006 Mallorca Half Marathon in 62:18 and third at the 2006 Madrid Half Marathon in 62:49. Birhanu trains in Addis Ababa and says of his Boston expectations, “I would like to run my personal best. I am fitter than when I ran 2:09 in Korea.” Personal notes: Birhanu started running when he was 13 years old after learning about Haile Gebrselassie’s 10,000m victory at the Olympics. After graduating from high school Birhanu started competing internationally. He speaks English well and credits his sister who runs a school that teaches English to small children. His hobbies include listening to Ethiopian Bati and Ambassel music and reading about astronomy. -- Courtesy BAA [ Close window ]