2013 Boston Marathon & B.A.A. 5k/Invitational Road Mile

Road to Moscow Runs Through Boston for Gebremeskel

Apr 13, 2013 by David Monti

BOSTON (13-Apr) -- For Ethiopia's Dejen Gebremeskel, the road to Moscow and an attempt at achieving the 5-K/10-K distance double at the IAAF World Championships runs through this New England City. On Sunday, the 23-year-old will compete in the fifth edition of the B.A.A. 5-K, the first leg of the second annual B.A.A. Distance Medley, a three-event road running series with a $100,000 grand prize.

Talking with reporters here on Friday, the 2012 Olympic silver medalist at 5000m was anxious to take the streets of the Massachusetts capitol, which will play host to the 117th Boston Marathon on Monday.

"I came to this race especially cause Monday is the Boston Marathon," said Gebremeskel in English, sporting an excited look across his face. "It is like a big and public race. This weekend is like a festival weekend so I like to do the 5-K."

Although it is still four months away, Gebremeskel talked at length about his desire to compete in both the 5,000m and 10,000m at the IAAF World Championships in August. In order to be prepared for the distance double, Gebremeskel said he wanted to compete often in 2013, especially on the roads. His outdoor season started last Sunday at the Carlsbad 5000, where he won for the third straight year. It will continue here Saturday as he goes for the $4,000 first-place prize and 13:41 event record.

"This is good competition and good training because I want to be ready for the World Championships," said Gebremeskel, who is also going for the three-race B.A.A. Distance Medley title. The Medley awards $100,000 to the male and female with the lowest cumulative time after the B.A.A. 5-K, B.A.A. 10-K (June), and B.A.A. Half-Marathon (October). Gebremeskel has a personal best of 27:45 for 10-K on the roads, yet interestingly has not yet run the distance on the track.

"I want to start by winning the first race, the 5-K. I hope I would run [well in] the 10-K cause it is good for me," he said. As for the Distance Medley's final leg, the half-marathon, Gebremeskel was unsure of how he would fare since he has not yet run the 21.1 kilometer distance.

Sunday's race will not be Gebremeskel's first race here, though. In 2011, Gebremeskel defeated eventual double Olympic champion Mo Farah over 3000m at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix despite losing a shoe in the first 400 meters. Earlier this year, he returned to the event to place third over the same distance.

Each time Gebremeskel returns to Boston, he said it brings a smile to his face. He is aware of the history of the Boston Marathon, and familiar with the large Ethiopian-American population that reside in the city. Three men and three women from Ethiopia have captured a total of eight marathon crowns in Boston, and Gebremeskel hopes to one day add his name to the list.

"Sure, I will come to the marathon, especially the Boston Marathon and the New York City Marathon," he said. "I will run them in the future but not yet until after the Olympics in Rio De Janeiro. After that I hope to run the marathon."