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Budding Marathon Star a Neighborhood Face

Buzunesh Deba, the runner up in the women’s race for the New York City Marathon isn’t just a Bronxite. She may be your neighbor.

The 195th Street resident finished just four seconds behind fellow Ethiopian and friend Firehiwot Dado at 2:23:19, according to the Daily News.

Photo courtesy of New York Road Runners

Deba and Dado rushed past Mary Keitany with about one mile of the 26.1 mile race to go. Keitany unwisely shot ahead at the start, and could not keep her pace.

Deba moved to the Bronx from Asella, Ethiopia six years ago as an 18-year-old after marrying Worku Bey, according to the New York Times. Bey, formerly an elite runner himself, quit to become Deba’s trainer.

This isn’t the first time Deba’s legs carried her to great finishes. Last year she won the Twin Cities Marathon and the Grandma Marathon in Minnesota, but her time for the New York City Marathon yesterday was her best ever. Deba had previously finished 10th and seventh in her hometown race.

Deba also told the Times her diet consists of broccoli, potatoes, rice, and sometimes chicken. When she’s not running, she admires at the zebras at the nearby Bronx Zoo.

On the men’s side, Kenyan Geoffrey Mutai won the marathon in grand fashion. At 02:05:06, he smashed the previous record for the marathon by 2:37.

Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.

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