First-Time Racer Tolossa Gedefa Fufi Wins 2013 Bay to Breakers Presented by craigslist 12k Running Race

Fufi wins 2013 Bay to Breakers presented by craigslist 12k race. Photo by, Geof Teague

May 19, 2013, SAN FRANCISCO (Herald Online) — Taking on the streets of San Francisco for the first time ever, Tolossa Gedefa Fufi, from Ethiopia, placed first at the 2013 Bay to Breakers presented by craigslist, on Sunday, May 19, 2013. At 21 years of age, Fufi was one of the youngest elite runners in the field and follows in the footsteps of the many talented Ethiopians that have historically raced in Bay to Breakers.
Fufi was neck and neck with Ethiopian Tesfaye Sendeku Alemayehu, all the way up to the top of the Hayes Street Hill, and then at mile three, as they took the turn from Fell Street to Divisadero, Fufi picked up the pace, took the lead and held it all the way to the finish.
The battle for first place amongst the women was also close with Diane Nukuri-Johnson from Burundi taking first place. Nukuri-Johnson and second place finisher Adrienne Herzog from Netherlands were running together from the start of the race to the bottom of Hayes Street Hill. On the way up, Nukuri-Johnson was fighting fatigue and Herzog surged ahead to win the climb to the top. Nukuri-Johnson started to recover on the descent and at the four mile mark in the park, she made her decisive move, took the lead and won the race for the women.

Top Finishers:
First Place:			Tolossa Gedefa Fufi, Ethiopia, 35.01
			Diane Nukuri-Johnson, Burundi, 40:12
Second Place:			Olympian Ryan Hall, USA, 35:40
			Adrienne Herzog, Netherlands, 40:42
Third Place:			Tesfaye Sendeku Alemayehu, Ethiopia, 36:04
			Chelsea Reilly, USA, 40:56
First Place Centipede:			Asics Aggie’s Men, 42:03
Challenged Athlete:			Asics Aggie’s Women, 48:17

“Coming off of an eighth place finish at the recent Boston Marathon, and placing second at the 2012 Bay to Breakers, I am thrilled to take first place at Bay to Breakers this year,” said Nukuri-Johnson.
Since 1912, this legendary race has taken thousands of participants including elite athletes, centipede teams of 13, celebrities, costumed racers, marathon runners, weekend warriors and more from the edge of the bay, to the shore of the Pacific Ocean, via several San Francisco neighborhoods