Running News Daily

'This is the one country that saved my life' - Record breaking Irishman emotional after Dublin Marathon heroics

He bravely journeyed through some lonely and terrifying intervals of his life.

Every marathon journey is ultimately about reaching the finish, but Hiko Tonosa's victory on October 27 in Dublin Marathon had a very different meaning.

Greeted on Mount Street with the same ecstatic yells as the outright winner, Hiko Tonosa crossed the finish line in third place overall, his 2:09:42 the fastest marathon ever run by an Irishman. Tonosa has unquestionably come a long way from the small Rastafarian town of Shashamane in the highlands of Ethiopia.

About 4,000 miles, he bravely journeyed through some lonely and terrifying intervals of his life; the murder and oppression of his native Oromo people, the peril of chasing a professional running career in Japan, the fear of being an asylum seeker in Dublin and the unknown of being almost two years in direct provision.

An Irish citizen since 2020, the 29-year-old Tonosa has already won a series of national titles on the track and the road, but this one felt special for many reasons, Dublin being his hometown since 2017. "I know I can hold this flag. This is the country that saved my life," an emotional Tonosa said. Kenya's Moses Kemei won the Dublin Marathon and crossed the line in a personal best time of 2:08.46 with Ethiopia's Abebaw Desalew second in 2:09.23.

For Tonosa, it was the proudest day in his adopted home city. He grew up in Ethiopia and came to Ireland in 2017 for two track races, but while in Dublin he was informed that his friend had been killed for protesting against the prosecution of the Oromo people.

Having been previously imprisoned for attending a similar protest, Tonosa was told his life would be under threat if he returned home and so he sought asylum in Ireland and was placed in direct provision. He was soon put in touch with the Dundrum South Dublin AC and he's since won a slew of national titles in their colors.

He gained Irish Citizenship in 2020 and represented Ireland at European and World Level but fell short of Olympic qualification at the London Marathon in April, Tonosa forced to drop out late in the race.