The snow began falling in Flagstaff, Ariz., two weeks ago, slightly altering Belainesh Gebre’s training plans.
But compared to this point last year, she’s miles ahead in her preparation for the Honolulu Marathon.
Gebre, who is originally from Ethiopia, was an accomplished runner at shorter distances when she submitted her entry fee and bought a plane ticket to compete in her first marathon. Her bib number — 9670 — stood out among the single-digit runners invited to compete in the elite field, yet she ended up crossing the finish line first among the women, albeit in somewhat controversial fashion.
She returned to Honolulu on Thursday as defending champion seasoned by a busy schedule that has already included three marathons this year.
"Before I didn’t have any confidence," she said. "Now I have confidence because I know about marathons. But this year the field is a little stronger."
Although she was something of a mystery when she entered last year, Gebre’s first-place finish in her marathon debut was part of a streak of six consecutive victories running from July 2010 into last January.
Gebre then placed fourth in the Houston Marathon on Jan. 30 and third in the Prague Marathon on May 8. She is coming off a personal best in the Chicago Marathon on Oct. 9, when she finished in 2 hours, 26 minutes, 17 seconds to finish fourth.
Now equipped with experience, Gebre feels stronger entering Sunday’s race than she did a year ago, when she overcame blisters to hold off three-time champion Svetlana Zakharova in the late stages of the 26.2-mile run.
She bolted from the starting line on a torrid pace, maintained a wide margin for most of the morning and reached the finish at Kapiolani Park at the 2:32:13 mark
"Last year I was struggling to even break the tape," Gebre said. "I didn’t train that much for marathons; the last 3 or 4 miles I was really struggling."
Gebre’s education last year also included a review of certain sections of the marathon rule book.
Controversy arose during the race and in its aftermath over Gebre being accompanied by her boyfriend, Ezkyas Sisay, who was wearing a belt with drinks he provided to her along the course. A protest was filed, but Gebre’s victory was eventually upheld by race officials, who cited that she didn’t have access to the specialized aid stations available to the elite runners.
Both runners were lectured after the race and Sisay said they’ve stopped the practice.
"Before, we didn’t know the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) rule. After that we went home and we read the books and decided we’re not doing that any more," said Sisay, who finished ninth in the New York Marathon last month and will be among the elite men running Sunday. "We learned so many things. Last year we made a mistake."
While in Ethiopia, running in Hawaii became one of Gebre’s goals when footage of countryman Ambesse Tolossa’s Honolulu Marathon victory in 2006 was aired back home. She moved to the U.S. that year, relocating first in Washington D.C., then to Flagstaff in 2007.
Gebre now does most of her training in the mountain town at nearly 7,000 feet elevation. That makes for some chilly conditions around this time of year, but nothing that’s distracted her from Sunday’s 5 a.m. start.
"I prepared more than two months," she said. "So the snow didn’t affect that much."
