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Tanzania's marathon national record holder Gabriel Gerald Geay dreams of the day his country will join Kenya, Ethiopia, and Uganda as a dominant force in African athletics.

The 26-year-old became the first Tanzanian athlete to run the marathon in under two hours four minutes when he finished second at the Valencia marathon.

The new personal best time of 2:03:00, set in December's race, doubled up as a new national record.

"Last year was my best career season - running a fast time and finishing the season ranked seventh in the world last year is a huge accomplishment," he said.

"It implies that I am up there with other great marathoners who have done tremendous things.

"There aren't many success stories in athletics for Tanzanians to draw inspiration from, and I want to be the one to change that. I am now approaching the future very certain of my skills. There are no restrictions when it comes to what I can achieve."

Family inspiration

Geay did not know much about athletics growing up in the village of Madunga, part of Tanzania's administrative capital Dodoma.

Even though he occasionally watched athletes train, it was his realisation of how drastically the sport could potentially alter his financial situation that inspired him.

"When I was a young boy, Zebedayo Bayo was the most accomplished athlete in Tanzania, having represented the nation at several international competitions, including the Olympics," Geay added.

"I used to see his expensive cars and his lovely home because of athletics, and I knew deep down that's the path I'll take to improve the lives of my family.

"I started to go to people who knew more about athletics and I was lucky to be part of various local and regional competitions.

"I eventually made it to a national championship where I was selected to represent the country at the 2015 Africa Junior Championships in Addis Ababa, my dream was starting to take shape."

Geay placed fourth in the 5000-meter race, and soon after enrolled in college to take a course in office records.

But he eventually left to focus on athletics, since he could not afford the school fees.

"I am the first child in my family, and because my parents were unable to continue paying my school fees, I jumped at the chance to compete in numerous road races overseas in an effort to improve the standard of living for my family," Geay remembered.

"I have earned well so far, but I don't have any immediate plans to return to school because I was looking for a career and found one in athletics. 90% of my family depends on me, and I am also raising my siblings.

"I can now say that I am living a good life free of daily financial struggles."

Flying the flag

Geay has overcome a significant obstacle in his life by providing for his family, and he now has his sights set on making history for his nation.

"I represented my country at the Tokyo Olympics, but I dropped out," he said. "I came back from that disappointment and finished seventh at the World Championships in Oregon.

"Now I am ready to do something bigger. We have the World Championships next year and the 2024 Olympics the year after.

"My dream is to win and fly the Tanzanian flag high.

"I don't want to win for myself - I want to win for my people, who need a lot of motivation, something to give them hope that they can overcome anything.

"Athletes do not get a lot of attention from the government, and we even fight for space in the mainstream media where we barely get coverage, a huge achievement that cannot be ignored will change that."

The mountainous region of Arusha in Tanzania was where Geay forged his career.

But Iten and Kaptagat, two areas renowned for producing the finest distance runners in Kenya, were included in his 2022 program.

He credits this for his success last year.

"Beyond the high altitude, training in Kenya has paid off because it provides athletes with a competitive environment," he said.

"There is constant competition even in training, which provides great motivation to prepare and be the best."