The World Half Marathon on October 11 is the fifth and final IAAF World Athletics Series competition of 2009, and will bring together many of the world’s best road runners to contest this annual event.
 

Tadese won the first of his titles in Debrecen, Hungary in 2007, at the briefly for two years renamed the World Road Running Championship, over the distance of 20 kilometres.

He repeated his success the following year over the half marathon in the northern Italian town of Udine setting his personal best of 58min 59sec which still stands as the seventh quickest run of all time on courses applicable for record purposes.
 
The manner of the Eritrean’s third victory last year in Rio de Janeiro was a picture of brilliance.

Tadese’s run was a solo venture of athletics magnitude, breaking away from a quality field after just 5km to win the first prize of $30,000 (£19,000) in a time of 59:56, nearly two minutes ahead of his closest challenger, Patrick Makau Musyoki who had also been a silver medallist in 2007.

The 27-year-old former world cross-country champion is the holder of the fastest ever time on British soil, having clocked 59:05 to win the 2005 Bupa Great North Run.

Kenya's Sammy Kitwara, who won the Rotterdam Half-Marathon in 55:58 - the second fastest time this year - is likely to be among Tadese's main challengers.