Aleksandra DulibaHome: Minsk, BelarusBib: #F12 Pronunciation: Al-ex-an-dra Du-lee-bah Birthdate: 5 January 1988 Personal Best: 2:23:44 (Chicago, 2013) NR |
| 13Oct13 | Bank of America Chicago Marathon | 4th | 2:23:44 NR |
| 17Mar13 | Asics Los Angeles Marathon | 1st | 2:26:08 |
Aleksandra Duliba made her marathon debut with a national record win at the 2013 Los Angeles Marathon and then followed by improving that record in the fall to 2:23:44 at the Chicago Marathon. In Los Angeles, the women’s elite field was given an 18 minute and 35 second lead over the elite men in a gender challenge. Duliba beat the entire field by 52 seconds to collect the $50,000 bonus for staying ahead of the handicap. The former Belarus national marathon record of 2:26:23 was held by Madina Biktagirova and coincidentally was set in Los Angeles in 1992.
Also in 2013, Duliba won the Dushanbe Half Marathon in 1:15:07 and set a 33:08.80 personal best in the 10,000m. In 2012 she won the bronze medal in the 10,000m at the Belarus National Championships and won the Szamotuly Half Marathon, the Swarzedz 10K and the Dzialoszyn 10K.
Duliba was very athletic as a youth and entered the Sport School of Olympic Reserve to specialize in cross-country skiing. She soon discovered she was very talented running on the track and made the transition. She currently trains in Kiev, Ukraine, with her fiancé Vitaliy Shafar, who is also running the Boston Marathon this year. The pair is coached by Igor Osmak and is affiliated with the Spartnik group and agent Andre Baranov. Duliba’s hobbies include reading, listening to classical music, and being surrounded by nature and beautiful architecture.
“I hope that my accomplishments will inspire young kids to come to athletics and represent Belarus in the sports arena.”