Haftom Welday | My Journey to Paris
My Goals
- 2021: Move to Hamburg – done!
- 2022: Get German citizenship – done!
- 2022: Best running time – in Berlin done!
- 2022: Admission to the national squad – I’m in!
- 2023: World Athletics Championships in Budapest
- 2023: Qualification for the Olympic Games in Paris
- 2024: Take part in the Olympic Games in Paris
My Results
- Marathon: 2:09:06 – Berlin, 25 Septeber 2022
- 5 km: 13:32 – Lausanne, 2 October 2021
- Marathon: 2:13:47 – Berlin, 26 September 2021
- Half marathon: 1:02:47 – Berlin, 22 August 2021
- Profile on World Athletics
Intuition + Science
I’m usually a very intuitive runner and pay extremely close attention to what my body is telling me – at the Haspa Hamburg Marathon, I brutally tested its limits. That hurt, but it took me another big step forward. I also rely heavily on science. Professor Karsten Hollander and his team at the Hamburg Medical School are giving me great support – many, many thanks! In the lab, by the way, we just found out which shoe optimally supports my performance.
My Journey
My journey has been unusual. As a young person in my old East African homeland of Tigray, I enjoyed playing soccer with my friends. But running? No! I had no desire to do that back then.
In 2014, fleeing war and violence, I left my old home in Tigray. My dangerous trip took me through the Sahara and across the Mediterranean to Europe. I thank God that I survived the journey!
My Journey
My journey has been unusual. As a young person in my old East African homeland of Tigray, I enjoyed playing soccer with my friends. But running? No! I had no desire to do that back then.
In 2014, fleeing war and violence, I left my old home in Tigray. My dangerous trip took me through the Sahara and across the Mediterranean to Europe. I thank God that I survived the journey!
Press
Hamburg Marathon: Learned a Lot!
The race today was extremely hard! I started with a very high pace. Unfortunately, the pacers didn’t run evenly. Then starting at KM 15 I also had bad stomach problems. In spite of all that, I kept up with the leading group at the Haspa Hamburg Marathon until KM 30. I...
Next Stop Hamburg!
I will be competing at the Hamburg Marathon on April 23 in my new home town. If my elevation training continues to go so well, I’ll try to beat the Olympic marathon standard of 2:08:10. The Haspa Hamburg Marathon digital press conference today was also joined by...
Visit From Runner’s World
Michael Simon (text) und Marcus Vogel (photos) from Runner’s World visited me and my family in Hamburg. The result is a very personal portrait that has just been published in the January issue. Many thanks for your effort and care - the ten-page (!) article is really...