By Paul Gains
Meseret Gebre returns to the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon on October 20th intent on making amends for her below par performance in last year’s race.
The 31 year-old Ethiopian finished 7th on that windy day in a time of 2:29:54 while her compatriots occupied the first four places more than six minutes ahead. It is a result she would sooner forget.
“Yes it is a pleasure to return back to Toronto. I hope the race will be better for me than last year, “ she says. “It’s a friendly organisation but it was a difficult race for me. I was not in top shape that time.
“Last year it was not my day. Preparation for this race has been good, so I hope to be on the podium this year. My training is going well – better than last year. My goal is to be on the podium.”
Meseret in form is a sight to behold.
Winner of the 2022 Barcelona Marathon in a personal best of 2:23:11 she showed her incredible versatility by taking the 10,000m bronze medal at the African Championships in Mauritius just a month later. She ended that year with another quick marathon clocking 2:23:38 at the Valencia (Spain) marathon. Asked if she now considers herself a marathoner she is emphatic.
“Yes, but I still would like to run some half marathons for speed,” she replies.
Born near the town of Asela, about 160 kilometres southeast of the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, Meseret lives in the capital now with her husband but her parents and siblings remain in her birthplace. Like most Ethiopians, her family and roots are incredibly important to her.
“Yes, when I finish my race, I will go there and spend some time with them again,” she vows.
Meseret’s comprehension of English comes from having lived for several months in New York in 2017. While there she competed in local road races winning the Hartford Marathon and the Oneonta Pit Run 10km but her insane two month US schedule showed her completing no less than three marathons within that period and five in the 2017 calendar year.
These days her schedule is far more organized and far less strenuous. That is mainly down to the advice provided to her by Dutch-based Volare Sports Management and her coach, the renowned Ethiopian Getemesay Molla.
Amongst the world-class group of distance runners she trains with is Tigist Abayechew who was third in the 2022 Berlin Marathon (2:18:03). The relationship with her training partner has renewed her motivation to make her Toronto Waterfront return a positive experience.
Meseret joins her compatriots Waganesh Mekasha, Roza Dereje and Kumeshi Sichala in the women’s race at TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon.
