Buzunesh Deba’s Bronx Tale

Buzunesh Deba, age 26, was born and raised in the Arsi region of Ethiopia, but for nearly a decade she has resided in or near New York. “Oh, Bronx is my home,” she says with affection toward the borough where she lives with her husband and coach, Worku Beyi.

When she has raced through the Bronx in the New York City Marathon–in which she has placed second twice, in 2011 and 2013–residents have been vocal in their support during and after her race. “People were cheering, and I was so happy,” she says. “I want to say, ‘Thank you, Bronx.’ ”

Deba was a gymnast as a youngster before joining a youth running program and then a police force athletic club. As a teenager, she spent about a year in Japan before coming to the United States in 2005, where she received treatment for an ankle injury.

Read more at: Running Times