Haftu Strintzos spent the first years of his life as a shepherd in mountainous Tigray in northern Ethiopia. He cared for sheep and cows and played hopscotch (the Tigrayan version) with the other shepherds.

Now an Asics-sponsored athlete, with his sights on representing Australia in the marathon, Haftu has the most incredible story brimming with resilience and perspective. But to understand how he got from A to B, you’ll just have to listen to this episode.

Haftu talks about some defining moments of his athletic career so far, including running for Villanova University in the US, finishing first Australian across the line at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Serbia, winning the 10,000m at the 2024 Oceania Athletics Championships and achieving silver in the 5,000m. After his half marathon debut in Melbourne last year (62:24), Haftu followed up with a blinder in Marugame in Japan, where he ran 60:36 and asserted himself as a real contender on the roads.

Unfortunately, Haftu’s marathon debut was foiled by an injury that popped up just before Hamburg Marathon earlier this year. We discuss how he’s dealing with that injury setback, how training has changed since he transitioned to Adam Didyk’s Team Tempo and what Haftu’s big goals for the future look like.

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Intro/outro music by Dan Beacom

Graphic design by Kate Scheer