Chala Regassa

Chala Ketama Regasa (born 30 April 1997) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner who specializes in road running events, including the marathon and half marathon. He has won several international marathons and is known for his highly competitive personal best times.

Career Chala Regasa began his professional running career focusing on shorter road distances. In 2019, he won the 10K Valencia Ibercaja with a personal best time of 27:23. That same year, he also served as a pacemaker for Eliud Kipchoge during his historic sub-2-hour marathon attempt (INEOS 1:59 Challenge) in Vienna.

In 2022, Regasa achieved a personal best in the half marathon, running 59:10 to finish second at the eDreams Mitja Marató de Barcelona.

Regasa made his full marathon debut in 2023, where he finished fifth at the Rotterdam Marathon with a time of 2:06:11.

In the 2024 marathon season, Regasa won the Vienna City Marathon in April with a time of 2:06:35. In December, he became the first Ethiopian man to win the Abu Dhabi Marathon, crossing the line in 2:06:16.

In April 2025, Regasa further improved his marathon personal best at the Rotterdam Marathon, finishing second in 2:05:06.

Personal bests Marathon – 2:05:06 (Rotterdam, 13 April 2025) Half Marathon – 59:10 (Barcelona, 3 April 2022) 10 Kilometres Road – 27:23 (Valencia, 13 January 2019)