Tariku Jufar
Encyclopedia
Tariku Jufar is an Ethiopia
n long-distance runner who competes in marathon
races. He won the 2011 Beirut Marathon
and has had top-three finishes in Istanbul, Mumbai, Los Angeles and Hamburg. His personal best for the distance is 2:08:10 hours (set in 2008). In addition to marathon running, he also represented his country at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
in 2003 and 2007.
championships, where he was runner-up behind Dereje Adere. As a result he was chosen for the Ethiopian team at the 2003 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
, where he came 17th. That year he was also third at the Paderborn Easter Run and second at the Reims Half Marathon.
He did not build upon this success until 2006, when he returned to major half marathon running with a runner-up finish at the Nice Half Marathon and a fifth place at the Delhi Half Marathon. His debut over the marathon
distance came in January 2007 and he transitioned well, taking third place at the Mumbai Marathon
in a time of 2:12:49 hours. An appearance at the Paris Marathon
followed, but he could only manage 11th at the higher profile race. He represented Ethiopia in the half marathon at the 2007 All-Africa Games
, coming eighth, and he ran a personal best of 61:28 minutes for 18th place at the 2007 IAAF World Road Running Championships
. His final outing of the year came at the Istanbul Eurasia Marathon and his third place finish in 2:11:05 hours was the beginning of a marathon-focused period of his career.
Tariku Jufar led for the early stages of the Mumbai Marathon in January 2008 and held on to take second place behind Kenya's John Kelai
. A career best time of 2:08:10 hours came at the Hamburg Marathon
three months later (where he was third) The Toronto Waterfront Marathon
was promoted as a rematch between him and Kelai, but both had sub-standard races – the Ethiopian was 13th and his time of 2:18:47 hours was by far the slowest of his professional career. His performance at December's Singapore Marathon
was even slower, as he came tenth in 2:19:20 hours.
His sole marathon of 2009, the Los Angeles Marathon
, saw him return to form and he completed the distance in 2:09:32 hours (his second sub-2:10 hour run) to take the runner-up spot behind Wesley Korir. Tariku had mixed results in the 2010 season: he returned to Los Angeles and came seventh in a time of 2:11:49 hours, but was some six minutes slower at the Florence Marathon
, where he came fifth. The 2011 Mumbai Marathon was tightly contested and although Tariku was fourteen seconds behind the winner Girma Assefa, this left him in fourth place. His second run of the year came in Istanbul and a late-stage duel against Vincent Kiplagat resulted in a runner-up finish for the Ethiopian. Just over a month later, he took to the course at the Beirut Marathon
and he ran a course record time of 2:11:14 hours, seeing off a challenge from Sammy Malakwen.
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
n long-distance runner who competes in marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
races. He won the 2011 Beirut Marathon
Beirut Marathon
The Beirut International Marathon is an annual event in Beirut. The first ever BIM was held on October 19, 2003 and attracted over 6,000 runners from 49 different countries and tens of thousands of spectators in Lebanon and around the world...
and has had top-three finishes in Istanbul, Mumbai, Los Angeles and Hamburg. His personal best for the distance is 2:08:10 hours (set in 2008). In addition to marathon running, he also represented his country at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
The IAAF World Half Marathon Championships is an annual half marathon competition organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations. It was contested from 1992 to 2005, and replaced by the IAAF World Road Running Championships, a 20 kilometres race which had its inaugural...
in 2003 and 2007.
Career
His rise as a professional athlete began at the 2003 Ethiopian half marathonHalf marathon
A half marathon is a road running event of . It is half the distance of a marathon and usually run on roads. Participation in half marathons has grown steadily recently. One of the main reasons for this is that it is a challenging distance, but does not require the same level of training that a...
championships, where he was runner-up behind Dereje Adere. As a result he was chosen for the Ethiopian team at the 2003 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
2003 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
The 12th IAAF World Half Marathon Championships was held on October 4, 2003 in Vilamoura, Portugal. A total of 171 athletes, 98 men and 73 women, from 49 countries took part.-Individual:-Team:-Individual:-Team:-External links:*...
, where he came 17th. That year he was also third at the Paderborn Easter Run and second at the Reims Half Marathon.
He did not build upon this success until 2006, when he returned to major half marathon running with a runner-up finish at the Nice Half Marathon and a fifth place at the Delhi Half Marathon. His debut over the marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...
distance came in January 2007 and he transitioned well, taking third place at the Mumbai Marathon
Mumbai Marathon
The Mumbai Marathon is an annual international road running competition over the marathon distance that is held in Mumbai, India, each January. The course records set in 2011 were also the fastest times ever run for the marathon on Indian soil – 2:09:54 by Girma Assefa and 2:26:56 by the women's...
in a time of 2:12:49 hours. An appearance at the Paris Marathon
Paris Marathon
The Paris International Marathon is an annual marathon which takes place from the Champs-Élysées heading towards the Place de la Concorde and continuing through the city to finish at Foch Avenue....
followed, but he could only manage 11th at the higher profile race. He represented Ethiopia in the half marathon at the 2007 All-Africa Games
Athletics at the 2007 All-Africa Games
The athletics competition at the 2007 All-Africa Games was held on the Stade 5 Juillet 1962 in Algiers, Algeria between 18 July and 22 July 2007. Nigeria was the most successful nation of the competition having won nine golds and 24 medals in total. South Africa was a close second with seven golds...
, coming eighth, and he ran a personal best of 61:28 minutes for 18th place at the 2007 IAAF World Road Running Championships
2007 IAAF World Road Running Championships
The 2007 IAAF World Road Running Championships were held in Udine, Italy on 14 October 2007.-Individual:-Team:-Individual:-Team:...
. His final outing of the year came at the Istanbul Eurasia Marathon and his third place finish in 2:11:05 hours was the beginning of a marathon-focused period of his career.
Tariku Jufar led for the early stages of the Mumbai Marathon in January 2008 and held on to take second place behind Kenya's John Kelai
John Kelai
John Ekiru Kelai is a male long-distance runner from Kenya, who specialises in the marathon. He set his personal best in the men's marathon race in the 2005 edition of the Eindhoven Marathon, where he finished fourth...
. A career best time of 2:08:10 hours came at the Hamburg Marathon
Hamburg Marathon
The Hamburg Marathon is an annual marathon race over the classic distance of held in Hamburg, Germany. In 2009, 13,938 participants were counted.- History :The first edition took place in 1986 with about 8,000 participants...
three months later (where he was third) The Toronto Waterfront Marathon
Toronto Waterfront Marathon
The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon is an annual marathon held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on the last Sunday in September. Starting from 2011, the marathon will be held in October. The race day also includes a half marathon and 5 km race....
was promoted as a rematch between him and Kelai, but both had sub-standard races – the Ethiopian was 13th and his time of 2:18:47 hours was by far the slowest of his professional career. His performance at December's Singapore Marathon
Singapore Marathon
The Singapore Marathon is an annual international marathon race which is held on the first Sunday of December in the city of Singapore. It is an IAAF Silver Label Road Race...
was even slower, as he came tenth in 2:19:20 hours.
His sole marathon of 2009, the Los Angeles Marathon
Los Angeles Marathon
The Honda LA Marathon is an annual running event held each spring in Los Angeles, California. The 26.219 mile footrace, inspired by the success of the 1984 Summer Olympic Games, has been contested every year since 1986...
, saw him return to form and he completed the distance in 2:09:32 hours (his second sub-2:10 hour run) to take the runner-up spot behind Wesley Korir. Tariku had mixed results in the 2010 season: he returned to Los Angeles and came seventh in a time of 2:11:49 hours, but was some six minutes slower at the Florence Marathon
Florence Marathon
The Florence Marathon is an annual full-length marathon race which takes place in late November in Florence, Italy. Established in 1984, the international competition has significantly grown in size since its inaugural edition of 462 runners – a total of 10,211 runners started the 2010 edition,...
, where he came fifth. The 2011 Mumbai Marathon was tightly contested and although Tariku was fourteen seconds behind the winner Girma Assefa, this left him in fourth place. His second run of the year came in Istanbul and a late-stage duel against Vincent Kiplagat resulted in a runner-up finish for the Ethiopian. Just over a month later, he took to the course at the Beirut Marathon
Beirut Marathon
The Beirut International Marathon is an annual event in Beirut. The first ever BIM was held on October 19, 2003 and attracted over 6,000 runners from 49 different countries and tens of thousands of spectators in Lebanon and around the world...
and he ran a course record time of 2:11:14 hours, seeing off a challenge from Sammy Malakwen.