The Cheetahs of Long Distance Running in Ethiopia

One of the fastest animals in the world, the cheetah streaks across the plains and valleys of Ethiopia. But there is another kind of “cheetah” renowned for speed who are famous for running on 2 legs instead of 4. Some of the world’s elite marathon and long distance running athletes hail from Ethiopia, including Abebe Bikila, the first African Olympic gold medalist; Belayneh Densamo, who broke the world record for long distance running; and Haile Gebreselassie, who broke a world record 27 times! Read about the Baby Faced Destroyer, youngest World Champion runner and cousin to Derartu Tulu, the first woman to run a 2 mile race in less than 10 minutes and champion who earned 6 gold medals. Filled with detailed digital portraits of 10 legends of long distance running by Ethiopian artist Daniel Getahun.