Desisa, Gebremariam to Return To Boston for B.A.A. Half

By Chris Lotsbom, @ChrisLotsbom
(c) Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved
October 4, 2013

Yesterday, the Boston Athletic Association announced that Ethiopian duo Lelisa Desisa and Gebre Gebremariam will return to the Bay State for the B.A.A. Half Marathon presented by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund on October 13. Desisa is this year’s Boston Marathon champion, while Gebremariam placed third.

“We are honored to welcome two of our sport’s best competitors back to Boston for the B.A.A. Half-Marathon,” said B.A.A. Executive Director Tom Grilk in a statement.

For Desisa, it will be his second trip to Boston since breaking the tape on Boyleston Street just hours before two bombs would explode at the same spot. In June, Desisa returned for the B.A.A. 10-K, where he finished second in 28:15. At that race, he presented the city with his diamond-encrusted Marathon Champion’s medal, paying tribute to the city and those impacted by the explosions which injured more than 200 spectators.

“Lelisa will be forever associated with our City and the Boston Marathon, and his gift of his 2013 winner’s medallion to the people of Boston in June was a heartfelt and sincere gesture in recognition of the bombings and those who were attacked,” said Grilk.

Since his April win, Desisa earned a silver medal at the IAAF World Championships Marathon in Moscow. His personal best for the half-marathon stands at 59:30.

Gebremariam, 29, has twice finished third at the Boston Marathon (2011 and 2013), and was the B.A.A. 10-K runner-up in 2011. His half-marathon personal best is 1:00:25, set on American soil at the 2010 Philadelphia Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon.

In its 13th year, the B.A.A. Half Marathon will feature 7,500 entrants. The men’s event record stands at 1:01:44, set last year by Allan Kiprono. The winner of the race will take home $6,000.  The event is the third and final race of the 2013 B.A.A. Distance Medley.