"There is this sudden craze for superficiality. This has resulted in women undergoing surgeries to remove fat from the tummy. Since when did we get here? It is something I can never do because let's just say I am an outmoded woman. I am just focused on my job. I am a very grounded and simple personality."

"None can be compared to me; whether the old or the new generation. I am second to none. My fans on various social media platforms are solidly behind me."

"When I started taking this journey, there was something that was my motivation and my motivation was poverty. I was a broke women, I was poor. There were days when I didn't know where the next meal was going to come from. I used to live with friends."

"My story is a typical grass to grace and from poverty to financial independence or success. Typically, mine is just from zero to hero, a nobody to somebody."

"I have been running 10Ks and half marathons, so I have lost speed to defend my 5,000m title...I want to leave it to the younger athletes."

"I’m satisfied with my second place finish, what matters most was to finish within 1-2 bracket. I will go back and work hard in training to ensure I do well in Tokyo. I’m really not bothered much with Ethiopians, as a team we will deliver good results."

"I am so happy, it was the only medal I missed in my cabinet."

"I didn’t know I was going to win because the race was tough. I used my mind and decided to be patient...We had the Ethiopians in the races before and we saw they are strong on the hills. This was the last chance, I don’t think I’m going to go for another World Cross-Country."

"You can’t be like Eliud if you want to sit down and you say, ‘I want to be like Eliud Kipchoge’. Eliud Kipchoge does not sit down and wait to go and win races!"

"I do hope that next year (2024) is going to be good for me because I’ve done a lot and I’ve won the silver medal...So I want to upgrade it to gold."

"It’s encouraged me a lot to work hard because it’s a new life, it’s a new environment...I said, let me try to win because I asked you [to come] here. No excuses, I must perform. So I think they encouraged me a lot to train and to focus well."

"You know, now you are saying you are not alone...There’s someone who depends on me. My daughter needs to go to school, needs to have a good background, a good life. So you have to work hard because someone is looking up to you."

"I said in my mind let me try to be patient. When were at about 25k, I said ‘patient’. And when I reached 42km, I said, ‘no, I want to win this race.’ And I said, ‘can I just use track speed to go?"

"What came to my mind in New York was to finish the race so I can learn how to do my next marathon...So it helped me a lot to learn about patience. In New York I didn’t know about patience, I ran it like it was a track race."

"It is all about focus. The training for 1500m and 5000m is different, you do more because the distance is longer, you basically change everything in training."

"With a year of marathon experience now under my belt, a win in Boston, and my move to the U.S., I’m coming to New York this year (2023) with more confidence and in search of a title...I’m excited to show the people of New York what I’m capable of and that my win at the United Airlines NYC Half in March was just the beginning."

"In a marathon, anything can happen."

"In the middle of the race I had to be patient and had to wait for the right time. I knew I trained well, and today I can say it was my time...Moving from track to the road racing was a big challenge for me. In track there was not a lot of mileage."

"I tried to be patient and wait for the right time to happen...Today was my time."

"The race was good. I just wanted to seal top two...I have no pressure; I will be facing familiar opponents in Tokyo. I am used to fast-paced races and all I am going to do is continue with my training."

"Through my artwork and films, I hope to open audiences up to a new dialogue between the continents of Africa and America; one that incorporates more than just stereotypes, but includes both conventionalized and un-conventionalized discourses of race in its service. By creating complex contradictions, I hope that new meaning can emerge and be deposited into the universal consciousness. If I can do this by creating an experience for the audience that enables them to experience what it is like to find oneself, while being foreign in a community, then perhaps I can help that new meaning come to light."

"My definition of success isn’t about the accolades and the awards, but being authentic and consistent in my work and opening audiences up to seeing other perspectives in film."

"Being a Black woman who was born and raised in America to African parents is, naturally, where I draw my inspiration from as an artist and filmmaker."

"I would like to insert myself in the tradition of African storytelling through cinematic language."

"Instead of 'Africanizing' Western stories, I'm interested in reclaiming African history rendering them into what is happening in the present day."

"I was pretty confident that I was going to win, But I realized in the last mile that I couldn’t hang on and I had to settle for second."

"I think sports have this great opportunity to bring joy and happiness into a world that’s sometimes a bit uneasy and disappointing and sad. It’s a great responsibility and honor to hopefully inspire people to be the best versions of themselves. If there are enough people in the world bringing the best versions of themselves to their work and families and communities, we would hopefully arrive at a place that is better. It’s an honor to be part of a culture and part of a group of women in the United States that’s doing it the right way, full of passion and dedication toward their sport."

"I just feel like there is so much support and I want to do well for everyone else and it's the greatest motivator."

"I'm always grateful to be on the starting line and grateful to see the finish line just like every other 30,000 runners out there. I'm just like them. The conditions are tough today, but it's just so great to be here."

"At this point in my career I enter each race with a heightened sense of urgency and have become very selective in what races I'm willing to commit my time and energy to."

"I’m not an emotional person, but today was huge for me, I’m really proud of myself. You don’t get those moments too often, so I’m going to soak it in, be happy, then go back to being a competitor and try to take that next leap forward in racing down Boylston again. Today’s just as big as 2011 for me."

"I think it was the best race for me. I got everything out of myself so I'm very pleased."

"Today was a tough day. It was going to be a war of attrition and I knew that from the gun. I figured if we're going to hurt we might as well run fast."

"Coming back, every time is good and awesome...offering up some last minute advice. Make sure you have enough energy and are feeling yourself and know how much you still have left to go on the hills… Pace yourself."

"I can tell you, my coach used to tell me ‘If you win Boston or big races like that, your life is going to change and everything is going to change.’ I was like ‘Oh yeah. I don’t think too, too much.’ But I can tell you it has changed a lot. Everywhere you go people stop and talk to me and say good luck, and want to know more about running...That’s one thing — I’m more inspired by it. Just how people are really into it, knowing it and wanting [to run more]. I go to the store and people stop me and that’s really good. It keeps me going."

"It’s crazy. When I won the Boston Half, it’s when I was new. I had just started training with my coach and I saw that my training is paying off and all that stuff. Since then I kept going to races and getting better and better. This is where it all started, that year was when we started to get better...I’m excited. I love it here."

"The great feelings, I still have it. Lots of memories...It’s good to be back, back where I started. Not where I started running, but where I started to run well."

"This will be my first time coming to Pittsburgh...It’s always exciting to travel to new places and Pittsburgh has been on my bucket list. I’m motivated to capitalize on my training this spring, rather than refocus on another marathon. I am feeling fit and ready to run fast in Pittsburgh."

"It feels great to win my first race ever in Pittsburgh...It was so great seeing all the people on the course and cheering despite the rain. I can’t wait to be back!"

"Returning to Pittsburgh as the defending champion is really special to me....Last year (2022) was my first time in the city and I haven’t stopped thinking about it since. The best part of the race is seeing all the amazing spectators on the course, regardless of the weather. My goal this year is to win the race again and see how far I can push my limits."

"I love racing in New York...I know [the marathon course] is not as fast as some of the other races, but sometimes you have to feel it in your heart. You go where you want to be."

"I didn't start training for the marathon when I was 20, 21, 22, like a lot of the women now...The other thing is that I didn't want to run marathons just because it was the thing to do. I felt like I wanted to do it only when I was ready to do it well."

"I was trying to help some of the Kenyans coming there to learn Japanese...But I decided I wanted to be more serious about running and make it my job. I felt like I was not going to reach my goals if I stayed there (Japan)."

"My coach used to tell me, 'If you win big races, your life is going to change,'... So I was a little prepared, and I'm having fun with it, but you really don't know what it's like until you're there."

"I thought, ‘Oh, I’m going to get second,’ but then realized quickly that she still had a shot. “I saw the finish and thought, ‘Oh, I can kick; I have a chance to win today."

"That was like the greatest thing I've ever felt. I feel so happy and grateful to do it here in Boston."

"We went to like the last sprint and I knew that this was going to be the toughest sprint so I waited and waited so sprinting that I was like I have to go for it or give it everything I have."

"For me, the improvement in time this season has been key and very inspiring for that matter."

"This season has been inspiring for me considering I have been able to lower my personal best. I have decided to settle for 5,000m and just hope for the best."

"I believe 5,000m is my race though I took long to realize and specialized in the 1,500m. Since venturing in the 5,000m, my performance has been growing and I believe the best is yet to come."