African athletes find their feet in Vietnam’s marathon running boom | Athletics News

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam – Ethiopian runner Tesfaye Tsegaye Keress deftly made his way through nearly 18,000 participants to position himself near the starting line of the Techcombank Ho Chi Minh City International Marathon in December.

Keress said his diminutive size – he stands just 1.62 metres (5.3ft) tall and weighs about 50kg (116 pounds) – allowed the 27-year-old to slink easily through the throngs of runners to secure a strategic spot near the front just before the starting…