APA-Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) Ethiopia’s four-time world indoor 3000 metre athletics champion Meseret Defar has made a surprise decision to make her debut over the half marathon at the ING Rock n’ Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon in the United States on Sunday, APA learns here on Tuesday.

The 26-year old, who earlier this month won the 3000 metre title at the IAAF Continental Cup in Split, Croatia, will run more than twice as long as her previous longest race, the world’s best 10km in Puerto three and half years ago where she finished second behind Kenyan-born Dutch woman Lornah Kiplagat.

An established track runner with one world and one Olympic 5000m and the most successful Ethiopian indoor athlete with four back-to-back 3000m titles, Defar has run the 10,000m on the track three times, clocking a personal best of 29:59.20 in Birmingham last year, the fifth fastest time in the history of the event.

It will be the first time when Defar runs the half marathon race in the US and her result is expected to give her the green light for her future participation in the marathon.

Defar’s decision to run the marathon has been welcomed by the race organizers in the US.

Joining Defar in Philadelphia will be compatriots Derartu Tulu and Werknesh Kidane, who both are experienced over the event with personal bests of 1:07:03 and 1:08:09 respectively.