Habtamu Assefa and Zeytuna Areb win Hawassa Half Marathon

Hawassa, Ethiopia  – Habtamu Assefa and Zeytuna Areb scooped the top prizes at the 3rd edition of the Every One Half Marathon Races staged at Haile Resort in Hawassa on Sunday.

Areb, a member of the Federal Prisons club and who trains alongside Dire Tune and Teyba Erkesso, won in a time of 1:13:40. Assefa, who has previously raced abroad as part of Gertaneh Tessemas global club, won a closer duel with Sintayehu Merga, breaking clear in the final kilometer of the race before reaching the line in 1:03:38. Merga clocked 1:03:49.

Haile Gebrselassie awarded the prizes to all race winners at the event which included a mass 7km race for 2000 participants, a non-elite race over 21km and a series of children’s races.

Note: Hawassa is at 1700 metres above sea level.

Leading RESULTS:

Men –
1. Habtamu Assefa 1:03:38
2. Sintayehu Merga 1:03:49
3. Tsegaye Assefa 1:04:02

Women
1. Zeytuna Areb 1:13:40
2. Tsegereda Girma 1:14:03
3. Keneni Assefa 1:14:12