Challenger ready for City to Casino

TOMORROW’S men’s City to Casino race field is full of past winners, but it is one who has never known glory on the 11km event who could hit the finishing line first.

Dejen Gabreselassie was runner-up in this year’s Run The Bridge event but has returned from March’s World Half Marathon Championships in Spain in red-hot form.

Against the world’s best, he finished 66th, smashing his personal best with a time of 1 hour, 3 minutes 47 seconds, second fastest by an Australian this year behind Rio Olympian Collis Birmingham.

But for Gabreselassie, who was born to Ethiopian parents in a Sudanese refugee camp before fleeing with his family to Hobart when he was 10, it is not about times, it is about victory.

“If I’m lining up in a race, I go there to win,” Gabreselassie, 25, said.

“Anything can happen. I don’t rule anyone out in the race, everyone there has been working hard.

“It is definitely going to be those who work hard are going to win. Everyone will be a challenge to me and I’ll do my best and give it a crack for sure.”

He will face some very tough opposition, with the field including last year’s winner Doug Hamerlok, 2016 winner Dylan Evans, 2015 winner Dave Thomas and eight-time winner Grant Page.

Gabreselassie, who is now based in Melbourne, has his sights set high — on the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

But for that he needs to move down from the half marathon distance.

“I feel like inside me I could do really well in the 5km and 10km as well,” he said.

“I can still run a very fast 5km because I’ve got the speed and endurance for both.

“For the long term I would be trying to get into the Olympics for the 10km for 2020.”

City to Casino organiser Haydyn Nielsen was predicting a field of about 3000 runners in the children’s 2.7km, the 7km walk, 7km run and 11km run.

Racing starts at 9am.