Mamitu Daska
Encyclopedia
Mamitu Daska Molisa (born 16 October 1983 in Liteshoa), also known as Mamitu Deska, is an Ethiopia
n long-distance runner who specialises in road running
events, including the marathon
. She is a two-time team silver medallist at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships
. She has won the Dubai Marathon
and Houston Marathon
and has a personal best of 2:24:19 hours for the distance.
She gained representation with Elite Sports Management International in 2006 and began competing in road races in Spain
that year. She won her first races the following year, taking the Route du Vin Half Marathon title and the Sedan-Charleville 24.3 km race in France. Among her other outings that year, she was runner-up at the 20 kilomètres de Maroilles, third at the Parkersburg Half Marathon and fourth places at the 20 Kilomètres de Paris
and Falmouth Road Race
.
Running for Oromia
Police, she was sixth at the Jan Meda Cross Country in February 2008 – a finish which gained her selection for the 2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
. She finished twelfth at the world event held in Amman
and she was part of the silver medal
-winning Ethiopian women's team. She travelled to the United States in May and won the Bolder Boulder
10K and was second at the Freihofer's Run for Women
. That August she won the 7-mile Falmouth race and set a personal best at the New York City Half Marathon
, coming in second place behind Paula Radcliffe
in a time of 1:11:04 hours. Mamitu made her debut over the marathon
distance in September and performed well, recording a time of 2:26:38 hours to take third place at the high-profile Berlin Marathon
. More improvements came at the Delhi Half Marathon, where she finished the race in 68:07 minutes for fourth place. She ended the year with a win at the Obudu Ranch International Mountain Race
in Nigeria
.
Mamitu began 2010 with a career best run of 2:24:19 hours to take a marathon victory on her second outing over the distance – her win at the Dubai Marathon
earned her $250,000 in prize money. Her road success translated to cross country
as she came second at the Ethiopian championship behind Meselech Melkamu
. At the 2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
in Poland in March she improved upon her performance from the previous year, coming eighth and again taking the team silver with Ethiopia. She turned to the American road circuit later that year and won the Bolder Boulder, was the runner-up at the Lilac Bloomsday Run
, and had podium finishes at the Bay to Breakers
and Freihofer's 5K. She was invited as one of the elite women's runners at the 2010 Chicago Marathon
and was sixth in a time of 2:28:29 hours. As in 2010, she closed her year at the Obudu Race and was second on this occasion.
She posted a time of 2:26:33 hours to win the Houston Marathon
in January 2011, completing an Ethiopian sweep of the top two with Ashu Kasim. She was runner-up at both the Bolder Boulder and the Bay to Breakers races, later going on to win for the first time at the Freihofer's Run for Women.
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 specialises in road running
Road running
Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road . These events would be classified as long distance according to athletics terminology, with distances typically ranging from 5 kilometers to 42.2 kilometers in the marathon. They may involve large numbers of runners...
events, including 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...
. She is a two-time team silver medallist at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships
IAAF World Cross Country Championships
IAAF World Cross Country Championships is the most important competition in international cross country running. Held annually and organised by International Association of Athletics Federations , it was inaugurated in 1973, when it replaced the International Cross Country Championships...
. She has won the Dubai Marathon
Dubai Marathon
The Dubai Marathon is an annual marathon running race held in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.The race is held in January each year, the first being run on 14 January 2000...
and Houston Marathon
Houston Marathon
The Houston Marathon is an annual marathon held every January in Houston, Texas. With thousands of runners and spectators, it is the largest single day sporting event in the city. It is run concurrently with a half marathon and a 5 km race...
and has a personal best of 2:24:19 hours for the distance.
She gained representation with Elite Sports Management International in 2006 and began competing in road races in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
that year. She won her first races the following year, taking the Route du Vin Half Marathon title and the Sedan-Charleville 24.3 km race in France. Among her other outings that year, she was runner-up at the 20 kilomètres de Maroilles, third at the Parkersburg Half Marathon and fourth places at the 20 Kilomètres de Paris
20 Kilomètres de Paris
The 20 Kilomètres de Paris is an annual road running competition over 20 kilometres which takes place on the streets of Paris, France in October...
and Falmouth Road Race
Falmouth Road Race
The Falmouth Road Race is an annual 7-mile road race on Cape Cod from Woods Hole, a village in the town of Falmouth, Massachusetts, to Falmouth Heights.-History:...
.
Running for Oromia
Oromia Region
Oromia is one of the nine ethnic divisions of Ethiopia...
Police, she was sixth at the Jan Meda Cross Country in February 2008 – a finish which gained her selection for the 2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
2009 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
The 37th IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held in the Al Bisharat Golf Course at Amman, Jordan on 28 March 2009. Four races took place, one for men, women, junior men and junior women respectively. All races encompassed both individual and team competition...
. She finished twelfth at the world event held in Amman
Amman
Amman is the capital of Jordan. It is the country's political, cultural and commercial centre and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The Greater Amman area has a population of 2,842,629 as of 2010. The population of Amman is expected to jump from 2.8 million to almost...
and she was part of the silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
-winning Ethiopian women's team. She travelled to the United States in May and won the Bolder Boulder
Bolder Boulder
The Bolder Boulder is an annual 10-kilometer road race in Boulder, Colorado. The origin of the name is unknown. The most recent race featured over 54,000 runners, walkers, and wheelchair racers, making it the largest race in the US in which all participants are timed and the fifth largest road race...
10K and was second at the Freihofer's Run for Women
Freihofer's Run for Women
Freihofer's Run for Women is an annual five-kilometer road running competition for women that is usually held in late May or early June in Albany, New York, United States. First held in 1979, the race has grown into a sizable event that holds IAAF Silver Label Road Race status and had 3,927...
. That August she won the 7-mile Falmouth race and set a personal best at the New York City Half Marathon
New York City Half Marathon
The New York City Half Marathon is an annual half marathon road running race. It passes through famous landmarks such as Central Park and Times Square. The 5th annual race took place on March 21, 2010, with 11,604 finishers and victories by Peter Kamais and Mara Yamauchi...
, coming in second place behind Paula Radcliffe
Paula Radcliffe
Paula Jane Radcliffe, MBE is an English long-distance runner. She is the current women's world record holder in the marathon with her time of 2:15:25 hours...
in a time of 1:11:04 hours. Mamitu made her 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 in September and performed well, recording a time of 2:26:38 hours to take third place at the high-profile Berlin Marathon
Berlin Marathon
The Berlin Marathon is a major running and sporting event held annually in Berlin, Germany. The official marathon distance of 42.195 kilometers is set up as a city-wide road race where professional athletes and amateur runners jointly participate...
. More improvements came at the Delhi Half Marathon, where she finished the race in 68:07 minutes for fourth place. She ended the year with a win at the Obudu Ranch International Mountain Race
Obudu Ranch International Mountain Race
The Obudu Ranch International Mountain Race is an annual 11.25 km mountain running competition that takes place in late November in Obudu, Cross River State, Nigeria. First held in 2005, it has the largest total prize-money available of any mountain race and is known as "the world's richest...
in Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
.
Mamitu began 2010 with a career best run of 2:24:19 hours to take a marathon victory on her second outing over the distance – her win at the Dubai Marathon
Dubai Marathon
The Dubai Marathon is an annual marathon running race held in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.The race is held in January each year, the first being run on 14 January 2000...
earned her $250,000 in prize money. Her road success translated to cross country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
as she came second at the Ethiopian championship behind Meselech Melkamu
Meselech Melkamu
Meselech Melkamu is an Ethiopian long-distance runner, who specializes in the 5000 metres, 10,000 metres and cross-country events...
. At the 2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
The 2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held at Myślęcinek Park in Bydgoszcz, Poland on 28 March 2010. It was the first time in over twenty years that Poland hosted the annual championships, having previously held them in Warsaw in 1987. Kenyan runners dominated the competition, taking...
in Poland in March she improved upon her performance from the previous year, coming eighth and again taking the team silver with Ethiopia. She turned to the American road circuit later that year and won the Bolder Boulder, was the runner-up at the Lilac Bloomsday Run
Lilac Bloomsday Run
The Lilac Bloomsday Run, also known as Bloomsday, is an annual timed road race in Spokane, Washington, held on the first Sunday of every May since 1977. The course is 12 km long. The course starts in Downtown Spokane and heads northwest along the far west end of town, passes by Mukogowa Ft...
, and had podium finishes at the Bay to Breakers
Bay to Breakers
The Bay to Breakers is an annual footrace which takes place in San Francisco, California on the third Sunday of May. The name reflects the fact that the race starts at the northeast end of the downtown area a few blocks from The Embarcadero and runs west through the city to finish at the Great...
and Freihofer's 5K. She was invited as one of the elite women's runners at the 2010 Chicago Marathon
2010 Chicago Marathon
The 2010 Chicago Marathon took place on Sunday, October 10, 2010. Over 38,000 runners took part, the most in the race's history.Kenyan Samuel Wanjiru won the men's event with a time of 2:06:24, beating Ethiopian Tsegaye Kebede by 19 seconds. Russian Liliya Shobukhova won the women's event with a...
and was sixth in a time of 2:28:29 hours. As in 2010, she closed her year at the Obudu Race and was second on this occasion.
She posted a time of 2:26:33 hours to win the Houston Marathon
Houston Marathon
The Houston Marathon is an annual marathon held every January in Houston, Texas. With thousands of runners and spectators, it is the largest single day sporting event in the city. It is run concurrently with a half marathon and a 5 km race...
in January 2011, completing an Ethiopian sweep of the top two with Ashu Kasim. She was runner-up at both the Bolder Boulder and the Bay to Breakers races, later going on to win for the first time at the Freihofer's Run for Women.