Lelisa Desisa Benti (born 14 January 1990) is a retired Ethiopian long-distance runner who specialises in road running competitions.

[4] He took to the United States road circuit and was sixth at the Crescent City Classic before taking the runner-up spot at the Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run behind Stephen Tum.

He came seventh overall, recording a time of 1:01:28 alongside his compatriot Birhanu Bekele to secure the team bronze medal for the Ethiopians.

[12] This served as preparation for the City-Pier-City Loop in March, where he came out on top in a five-man sprint finish to record a personal best of 59:37 minutes for the half marathon.

[13] In a two-day period, he won the Cooper River Bridge Run and then broke the course record at the Cherry Blossom 10-Miler, improving upon a mark that had stood for 16 years.

In November, he returned to Delhi and ran a best of 59:30 minutes to win the half marathon race, beating Geoffrey Kipsang by a second.

[19] Desisa later, in a widely acclaimed gesture, returned his 2013 Boston Marathon winner medal back to the city, in order to honor the victims of the bombings.

Although Desisa was way far off from actually breaking the barrier, former athlete and world record holder Paula Radcliffe said: "He is still very young, at only 27... Once he figures it all out and matures a bit more, he will be unstoppable".