Aziza Aliyu wins Richmond Marathon

Richmond, VA – Hurricane Sandy blew Aziza Aliyu off course for a few days. Aliyu recovered in time to blow away the field in the women’s portion of the Anthem Richmond Marathon.

Aliyu, a 27-year-old Ethiopian who would have run last week in New York City Marathon had the event not been canceled in the aftermath of Sandy’s rampage along the east coast, laid waste to everything in her path during Saturday’s 26.2-mile women’s race in and around Richmond. Her time (2:40:21) was nearly 31/2 minutes faster than that of runner-up Irina Alexandrova of Russia.

“I was a little down” following the cancellation of the New York race, Aliyu said through her agent/interpreter. “I was ready. I had been training well: twice a day, six days a week for 2-3 months.” Then she paused. “When something like that happens, it’s out of my hands.” Read more