NYRR Media Center

Buze Diriba is no stranger to Central Park, where she started her 2018 season by winning two major races. First, she won the United Airlines NYC Half in a sprint finish, running the new course in 1:12:23 to become the second Ethiopian winner in the women’s open division in event history. Then, at the UAE Healthy Kidney 10K, she ran a 32:04. She returned to both races in 2019, finishing third in each.

In January of last year, Diriba made her marathon debut at the Houston Marathon, where she finished fourth in 2:28:06. The year prior in Houston, she lowered her half-marathon personal best to 1:06:50, good for fourth. That was an improvement of four minutes and 59 seconds from her previous best.

Earlier in her career, Diriba won the 5000 meters at the 2012 IAAF World Junior Championships; the following year, she competed in that event at the senior IAAF World Championships, where she finished fifth.