A Brief Chat with Ethiopian-American Runner, Fasil Bizuneh

Photo by John Barnhart/Photo Run

Fasil Bizuneh, who won the USA 10 Mile in August with a 47:29, will run the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on October 10. Bizuneh’s best marathon thus far was his 2:16:47 for 13th place at U.S. Olympic Trials in November of 2007. His outstanding road race performances to date include a personal best of 1:02:20 in a second place showing at the 2007 USA Half-Marathon Championships and a sixth in those Championships in 2009 in 1:02:40. He was third in the 2009 USA 15K in 43:52. Bizuneh has run 10,000 meters in 27:50.48; he was 15th in the 2008 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials in that event in 28:43.11.

Bizuneh attended high school in Indianapolis and then went to Arizona State University, where he was the Pac-10 runner-up in the 10,000 in 2000 and 2001.  Way back in 1999, he’d been 24th in the World Junior Cross Country Championships. He also competed for the U.S. at the 2007 World Cross Country Championships in the extreme heat and humidity of Mombasa, Kenya; “that was a debacle,” he recalls. “That was the first race I ever walked in. I was delusional when I finished. I couldn’t remember my address.”

Currently, Bizuneh spends most of his time in Flagstaff, Arizona, at 7,000 feet. He is part of Team USA Arizona and is coached by Greg McMillan. You can follow Fasil Bizuneh on Twitter, where he provides workout information.

Read Full Interview at Runners World