Bazu Worku (born 15 September 1990) is a

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires endurance, stamina as well as mental strength. Within e ...

from

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

who competes in

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

races. Worku made his first appearances on the

road running Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road. This differs from track and field on a regular track and cross country running over natural terrain. These events are usually classified as long-distance ac ...

circuit in 2008: he was third in the 15 km race at the

Istanbul Eurasia Marathon The Istanbul Marathon ( tr, İstanbul Maratonu, also known as N Kolay Istanbul Marathon for sponsorship reasons) is an international athletics event hosted in Istanbul, Turkey, in November, first held in 1979. It is the only marathon in the ...

in October, and registered a personal best at the

Delhi Half Marathon Airtel Delhi Half Marathon (ADHM) is an annual half marathon foot-race held in New Delhi, India. Established in 2005, it is both an elite runner and mass participation event. It is an AIMS-certified course and is listed as a Gold Label Road Rac ...

. He improved his

half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish or shortcu ...

best at the

Paris Half Marathon Paris Half Marathon (''French: Semi-marathon de Paris''), known as the Harmonie Mutuelle Semi de Paris for sponsorship reasons, is an annual half marathon held every March in Paris, France since 1993. Kenya's Stanley Biwott is the men's cours ...

in March 2009, winning the race in a time of 1:01:56. On 5 April 2009 at the

Paris Marathon The Paris Marathon (french: Marathon de Paris) is an annual marathon hosted by the city of Paris, France. It is the marathon with the second-most finishers in the world, behind the New York City Marathon. The marathon begins along the Champs ...

, Worku ran his debut marathon in 2:06:15 to finish as runner-up to

Vincent Kipruto Vincent Kipruto Limo (born 13 September 1987) is a Kenyan long distance runner who specialises in the marathon. He made his debut in the event in 2008 and won the Paris Marathon a year later. He then placed top three at the Chicago Marathon and ...

of Kenya. This was the fastest time ever run for an 18-year-old over the distance.Butcher, Pat (2010-09-26)
Makau and Kebede triumph in rainy Berlin

IAAF World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body for ...

. Retrieved on 2010-09-26. Worku ran at the

Ottawa Marathon The Ottawa Race Weekend (also known as Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend for sponsorship reasons) is an annual weekend of road running events held the last weekend of May in the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The two-day running event includes se ...

in May 2010 and placed third, twenty seconds adrift of winner

Arata Fujiwara is a Japanese marathon runner. At the 2009 World Championships in Athletics held in Berlin, Germany, Fujiwara finished 61st in the men's marathon in a time of two hours, thirty-one minutes and ten seconds. He represented Japan at the 2012 S ...

. He improved his personal best time at the 2010

Berlin Marathon The Berlin Marathon (german: Berlin-Marathon, ) is a marathon event held annually on the streets of Berlin, Germany on the last weekend of September. Held annually since 1974, the event includes multiple races over the marathon distance of , inclu ...

, running 2:05:25 to take third place. He ran at the national 30 km championships but was beaten into second place by

Azmeraw Bekele Azmeraw Bekele Molalign (born 22 January 1986) is an Ethiopian professional long-distance runner who competes in road running and cross country running competitions. Biography He first came to prominence in 2010, which began with a successf ...

. He was selected for the World Championship Marathon in 2011 but failed to finish the race. He ran at three high-profile marathons in 2012. He ran a season's best of 2:07:48 at the

Dubai Marathon The Dubai Marathon is an annual road-based marathon hosted by Dubai, United Arab Emirates, since 1998. The marathon is categorized as a Gold Label Road Race by World Athletics. History Initial era The inaugural Dubai Marathon was held ...

and also entered the

2012 London Marathon The 2012 London Marathon was the 32nd running of the annual marathon race in London, England, which took place on Sunday, 22 April. Both of the elite races were won by Kenyan athletes, and Ethiopia's Tsegaye Kebede was the only non-Kenyan to re ...

, but did not make the top ten in either race. He was runner-up at the Chinese Lanzhou Marathon then managed fifth at the

Frankfurt Marathon The Frankfurt Marathon (official name as of 2016: Mainova Frankfurt Marathon, until 2015: BMW Frankfurt Marathon, until 2010: Commerzbank Frankfurt Marathon) is a marathon which has taken place every year in Frankfurt am Main since its inception i ...

. He began 2013 with wins at the

Houston Marathon The Houston Marathon is an annual marathon usually held every January in Houston, Texas, United States, since 1972. With thousands of runners and spectators, it is the largest single day sporting event in the city. It is run concurrently wi ...

and

Grandma's Marathon Grandma's Marathon is an annual road race held each June in Duluth, Minnesota, in the United States. The course runs point-to-point from the city of Two Harbors on Scenic Route 61 and continues along Lake Superior into the city of Duluth. The ...

in the United States. He was close to third victory at the

Eindhoven Marathon The Eindhoven Marathon (Dutch: ''Marathon Eindhoven'') is an annual marathon race over the classic distance of 42.195km which is held in the city of Eindhoven, The Netherlands in October. It has been an annual race since 1990 – it was held bie ...

, but was beaten to the top spot by

Yemane Tsegay Yemane Adhane Tsegay (born 8 April 1985) is an Ethiopian long distance runner who specialises in the marathon. He won the 2012 Rotterdam Marathon with a personal best time of 2:04:48 hours. He has also won marathons in Eindhoven, Gyeongju, ...

. Worku won the 2018

in 2:08:30, one minute ahead of second-place finisher (and training partner) Yitayal Atnafu, who was followed closely by

Elisha Barno Elisha Kiprop Barno (born 1985) is a Kenyan marathon runner. Barno is the most prolific runner in Grandma's Marathon history, winning the race five times 2015 to 2018 and again in 2023. He has won several marathons during his career, including the ...

. Worku won $45,000 for the first-place finish.

Personal bests

*All information taken from IAAF profile.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Worku, Bazu Living people 1990 births Ethiopian male marathon runners Ethiopian male long-distance runners 20th-century Ethiopian people 21st-century Ethiopian people