She's only 21, but Gelete Burka already has one IAAF World Cross Country Championships title and two victories at the BUPA Great Edinburgh International Cross Country to her credit. Now she's hoping that before she reaches her 22nd birthday next February she'll have yet another victory in Edinburgh, her third in a row.
In last year's race, held over a windy 6.7 kilometers, Burka prevailed by nine seconds over Kenyan sensation, Vivian Cheruiyot, who went on to win the silver medal over 5000m at last August's IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Osaka. Like Burka, Cheruiyot will also be in Edinburgh again on January 12.
"Cheruiyot has also announced her intention to return and she is a much more developed athlete than she was 12 months ago," Caine commented.
The event is part of a festival of running in Holyrood Park with the BUPA Great Winter Run, a mass participation 5-K run for runners of all abilities, the opening the events of the day.
Caine also said that he's recruited a top-flight group of Britons for the race including sisters-in-law Hayley and Liz Yelling, 2006 Commonwealth Games 1500m champion Lisa Dobriskey, rising star Kate Reed, and veteran Helen Clitheroe.
Last year's men's race was won by Ethiopian superstar, Kenenisa Bekele, who defeated Eritrean Zersenay Tadese. The 2008 men's field will be announced, shortly.
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