Dmitry Safronov

Dmitriy Olegovich Safronov is a Russian long-distance runner who specialises in marathon running.

Biography

He made his first appearance over the classic distance at the 2008 San Antonio Marathon in Texas, and finished third with a time of 2:15:58 for his debut run. He won his first marathon in October the following year – in only his second marathon, his winning time of 2:11:51 at the Podgorica Marathon was ten seconds off Petko Stefanov's long-standing course record.
He started his 2010 season at the Daegu Marathon, where his run of 2:12:55 brought him sixth place. Despite his relative inexperience over the distance, Safronov claimed the bronze medal in the marathon at the 2010 [European Athletics Championships] in Barcelona. In the later stages he overtook Ruggero Pertile, and later said "I suffered a lot and it was a very tough race...At 30 km I realised I had a chance of a medal and I’m very proud of my last 2 km." An appearance at the Fukuoka Marathon in December resulted in a personal best run of 2:10:12 – by keeping his own tempered pace in the hot conditions, he managed to finish quickly and went from seventh to second place, taking the runner-up spot behind Jaouad Gharib.
He completed his first sub-2:10 performance at the 2011 London Marathon, taking eighth with his time of 2:09:35 hours. He was among the leaders at the 2011 Fukuoka Marathon and ended the race in fifth place.
He competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics, taking 23rd place in a time of 2:16:04.