 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Born | (1983-08-08)8 August 1983 (age 41) Riyadh,Saudi Arabia |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Running |
| College team | University of Wisconsin |
Simon Bairu (born 8 August 1983) is a Canadianlong-distance runner.
Bairu was born inRiyadh,Saudi Arabia, to anEthiopian mother and anEritrean father.[1] He grew up inRegina, Saskatchewan, Canada where his family moved to when he was three years old.
Bairu attended Dr. Martin LeBoldus High School, where he flourished as a provincial and then national leveltrack and field athlete. He then attended theUniversity of Wisconsin[2] where he was guided by coachJerry Schumacher to win twoNCAA cross-country titles.
As a post-collegiate, Bairu moved toPortland, Oregon to train with theBowerman Track Club, a professional athletics group founded by Schumacher that was originally formed primarily by Wisconsin teammates, such asChris Solinsky,Matt Tegenkamp,Evan Jager andTim Nelson.
In 2010, Bairu placed 12th at the2010 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, as well as set a 10,000 mCanadian national record of 27:23.63 minutes at Stanford (this record was bettered byCameron Levins in 2013). Over his career, Bairu won a record seven Canadian Cross Country Championship titles. Additionally, he also won the inauguralMiami Beach Half Marathon in December 2011,[3] as well as theSan Jose Half Marathon in October 2012.[4]
Bairu officially retired from professional racing in September 2014.[5]
| Surface | Event | Time (m:s) | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Track | 3000 m | 7:49.20 | Gent, Belgium | 7 July 2007 |
| 5000 m | 13:25.91 | Heusden-Zolder, Belgium | 28 July 2007 | |
| 10,000 m | 27:23.63 | Palo Alto, USA | 1 May 2010 | |
| Road | 10 km | 28:30 | Ottawa, Ontario, Canada | 26 May 2007 |
| Half marathon | 1:02:08 | Philadelphia, USA | 19 September 2010 |
