Roza Dereje Leads World Record Assault at Barcelona Half Marathon

By Adam Kopet

Marca reports that Ethiopia's Roza Dereje will chase the half marathon world record Feb. 10 at the eDreams Mitja Marató de Barcelona (link requires translation).

The 21-year old has already made a career for herself on the roads, having skipped the track entirely. A year ago, Dereje broke the course record at the Dubai Marathon, running a personal best 2:19:17.

For Dereje to get the world record, she would need to improve by over two minutes from her 1:07:00 personal best she set last year in Turkey. Joyciline Jepkosgei set the world record in Valencia, Spain, in 2017, running 1:04:51.

Dereje's half marathon race in Barcelona is a stepping stone as she prepares for the 2019 London Marathon in April.