Genet Getaneh Wendimagegnehu (born 6 January 1986) is an Ethiopian
long-distance runner
Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength.
Within endurance ru ...
who competes in
half marathon
A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish, or shortcu ...
and
marathon
The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...
competitions. She represented Ethiopia at the
IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
The World Athletics Road Running Championships is a biennial international road running competition organised by World Athletics. The competition was launched as the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in 1992 and held annually until 2010. It wa ...
in 2007 and 2008, finishing fourth at the latter race. She is a two-time winner of the
Great Ethiopian Run
The Great Ethiopian Run () is an annual 10-kilometre road running event which takes place in late November in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. With 45,000 participants, the race has become the biggest road race in Africa.
Overview
The competition was first ...
and won the 2010
Zevenheuvelenloop
The Zevenheuvelenloop (; English: Seven Hills Run) is an annual Road running, road race of 15K_run, 15 kilometres held in and around Nijmegen, Netherlands. It was first organised in 1984 and has grown to be one of the largest road races in th ...
. She has a personal best of 2:25:38 hours for the marathon and 1:08:18 hours for the half marathon.
Career
Genet Getaneh grew up in
Oromia Region
Oromia (, ) is a Regions of Ethiopia, regional state in Ethiopia and the homeland of the Oromo people. Under Article 49 of 1995 Constitution of Ethiopia, Ethiopian Constitution, the capital of Oromia is Addis Ababa, also called Finfinne. The ...
's
Arsi Zone
Arsi () is a Zones of Ethiopia, zone in Oromia Region of Ethiopia, named after a clan of the Oromo people, Oromo, who inhabit in the area.
Arsi is bordered on the south by Bale Zone, on the southwest by the West Arsi Zone, on the northwest by Ea ...
in Ethiopia and began running in national level races as a teenager. She was selected to represent Ethiopia at the 2004
Yokohama Women's Ekiden and, leading off on the first 5 km leg, she helped her country to win the race. An individual win at the
Great Ethiopian Run
The Great Ethiopian Run () is an annual 10-kilometre road running event which takes place in late November in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. With 45,000 participants, the race has become the biggest road race in Africa.
Overview
The competition was first ...
10K in November established her among the top national level runners, as she ran a course record of 34:18 minutes and beat world-level medalist
Teyba Erkesso
Teyba Erkesso Wako (born 30 October 1982 in Arsi) is an Ethiopian runner who specializes in road running (including the half marathon and marathon) as well as cross-country running.
She began running for Ethiopia internationally at the age ...
and African champion
Eyerusalem Kuma. She narrowly finished behind both of them to take third at the Silvesterlauf Trier at the end of the year.
Genet ran a 10 km for Ethiopia at the 2005 Yokohama Ekiden, but Ethiopia came third on that occasion. She had three wins over the 10K distance that year, taking the titles at the Stadsloop Appingedam and
Run London races, then defending her title at the Ethiopian Run. In 2006, she made her first
track appearance abroad at the
FBK Games
The Fanny Blankers-Koen Games, abbreviated as FBK Games, is an annual track and field event at the Fanny Blankers-Koen Stadion in Hengelo, Netherlands. It is named after Fanny Blankers-Koen in 1981, but was named Adriaan Paulen Memorial after A ...
, finishing well down the field over
5000 metres
The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to or . It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over laps of a sta ...
, and had similar results at the Ethiopian Championships. She attempted another defence at the Ethiopian Run, but came third, and was runner-up at the end-of-year São Silvestre da Amadora.
Genet was based in the Netherlands at the start of 2007: she was third at the
Parelloop
Parelloop (''Pearl Run'' in English) is an annual 10 kilometres road running competition usually held in late March or early April in Brunssum, Netherlands. The inaugural edition was held in 1989.
In 2009, Micah Kogo broke the List of world record ...
in April and set a
10,000 metres
The 10,000 metres or the 10,000-metre run is a common long-distance track running event. The event is part of the athletics programme at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships, and is common at championship-level events. The ...
best of 32:09:50 minutes in
Valkenswaard
Valkenswaard () is a municipality and a town in the southern Netherlands, in the Metropoolregio Eindhoven of the province of North Brabant. The municipality had a population of in , with an area of of which is water.
The name Valkenswaard ste ...
. She moved up to longer distances and a third place at the Ethiopian 20 km Championship brought her selection for the
2007 IAAF World Road Running Championships. On her
half marathon
A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish, or shortcu ...
debut she came 19th in the event with a run of 1:10:30 hours.
[Getaneh Genet]
IAAF. Retrieved 12 May 2012. She ran at the Ethiopian Run for the fifth time in as many years and was fourth. She was fifth at the 2008 Ethiopian
cross country championships, but did not gain selection for the world championships. However, she made her breakthrough in the half marathon that year. She was third at the
Paris Half Marathon
Paris Half Marathon (''French language, French: Semi-marathon de Paris''), known as the Harmonie Mutuelle Semi de Paris for sponsorship reasons, is an annual half marathon held every March in Paris, France since 1993.
Kenya's Stanley Biwott i ...
and her fourth place at the
2008 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
The 2008 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships were held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 12 October 2008.
This event was first announced as the 2008 IAAF World Road Running Championships, but in November 2007, the IAAF announced that the name of th ...
helped Ethiopia to the team title. She had a personal best run of 1:08:18 hours to take second behind
Aselefech Mergia
Aselefech Mergia Medessa ( Oromo: ''Asallafach Margaa Mardaasaa''; Amharic: አሰለፈች መርጊያ; born 23 January 1985) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who competes in the marathon. She was a bronze medallist in the event at the 2009 ...
at the
New Delhi Half Marathon and this ranked her the fourth fastest in the world that year.
Genet moved up to compete in the
marathon
The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...
in 2009 and performed well in her first outings, taking fifth place at both the
Berlin Marathon
The Berlin Marathon (, ) is a marathon event held annually on the streets of Berlin, Germany on the last weekend of September. Held annually since 1974, the event includes multiple races over the marathon distance of , including elite level road r ...
and the
Dubai Marathon
The Dubai Marathon is an annual road-based marathon hosted by the emirate of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, since 1998. The marathon is categorized as a Gold Label Road Race by World Athletics.
History
Initial era
The inaugural Dubai Marat ...
with a personal best of 2:26:37 hours at the latter race. The following year she competed at both marathons again and was eighth in Dubai but failed to finish in Berlin. She had her best national finish over 10,000 m at the Ethiopian Championships, coming a close second to
Amane Gobena
Amane Gobena Gemeda (born 11 September 1982)[Amane Gobena]
. Elite Sports Management International. Retrieved ...
, and ran a 15 km best of 47:54 minutes to beat
Florence Kiplagat
Florence Jebet Kiplagat (born 27 February 1987) is a Kenyan professional long-distance runner. She is a two-time world champion, having won at the 2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championships and the 2010 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships. ...
to the title at the
Zevenheuvelenloop
The Zevenheuvelenloop (; English: Seven Hills Run) is an annual Road running, road race of 15K_run, 15 kilometres held in and around Nijmegen, Netherlands. It was first organised in 1984 and has grown to be one of the largest road races in th ...
. Her 2011 season comprised three marathon races. First she came seventh in Dubai, then she managed fourth at the
Vienna City Marathon
The Vienna City Marathon is an annual marathon race over the classic distance of 42.195 km held in Vienna, Austria since 1984.
History
The first edition was held on with a total of 794 competitors. It is Austria's largest road running event ...
. A new personal best of 2:25:57 hours came at the
Amsterdam Marathon
The Amsterdam Marathon, currently branded as TCS Amsterdam Marathon, is an annual marathon (42.195 km) in Amsterdam in the Netherlands since 1975. The road running, road race has a IAAF Road Race Label Events, Platinum Label from World Athle ...
, although this was only enough for fourth as the race winner
Tiki Gelana
Erba Tiki Gelana (; born 22 October 1987) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who competes in marathon races. Her personal best of 2:18:58 remained the Ethiopian national record for the event from 2012 to 2017. She won the 2011 Amsterdam Maratho ...
broke the course record. She made her American debut with a run at the
2012 Boston Marathon
The 2012 Boston Marathon took place in Boston, Massachusetts on Monday April 16, 2012. It was the 116th edition of the mass-participation marathon. Organized by the Boston Athletic Association, it was the first of the World Marathon Majors series ...
despite being among the early contenders she finished in eleventh place.
She reached the podium at the 2012
Amsterdam Marathon
The Amsterdam Marathon, currently branded as TCS Amsterdam Marathon, is an annual marathon (42.195 km) in Amsterdam in the Netherlands since 1975. The road running, road race has a IAAF Road Race Label Events, Platinum Label from World Athle ...
, taking third place with a personal best run of 2:25:38 hours.
References
External links
*
World Marathon Majorsprofile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Genet Getaneh
Living people
1986 births
Athletes from Oromia
Ethiopian female long-distance runners
Ethiopian female marathon runners
20th-century Ethiopian women
20th-century Ethiopian people
21st-century Ethiopian sportswomen