Meet Mule

Among the most talented of the current crop of Ethiopian distance runners, Mule has few peers in the world of marathon running following a consistent spell of recent results.

Growing up on a farm with three brothers and three sisters he started out as a 400m and 800m athlete before later enjoying success in the longer distances. In 2013 he showed his potential on the road by clocking a half-marathon time of 60:35 in Nice before the following year lowering his half-marathon PB to 60:08 after victory in Paris.

In 2015 he made his marathon debut in Dubai, clocking 2:10:57 for 11th before later that year banking the highly-competitive Ethiopian 10,000m crown on the track.  

Mule made a significant step up in class in 2016, hacking more than five minutes from his previous marathon best with an eye-catching 2:05:44 on his return to Dubai.

He went on to earn selection for the Ethiopian team at the 2016 World Half Marathon Championships in Cardiff, where he placed an encouraging eighth in 61:11.

In 2017 he enjoyed a highly-satisfying year, placing second in the Dubai Marathon in 2:06:46 before trimming five seconds from his marathon PB to run a slick 2:05:39 for fourth in Amsterdam.

Last year Mule continued to impress, producing a lifetime best of 59:44 to win the Barcelona Half Marathon before posting a PB of 2:04:37 to place second in the Amsterdam Marathon.

However, at the 2019 London Marathon the diminutive Ethiopian elevated himself to a new realm of marathon running placing third in a time of 2:03:16 – to rise to seventh on the all-time list for the 42.2km distance. A year later, in 2020, Wasihun finished third in the Ras Al Khaimah Half Marathon (59:47).

Did You Know?

Mule was inspired to run by watching the feats of his countryman three-time Olympic distance running champion Kenenisa Bekele.