The Great Ethiopian Run ( am, ታላቁ ሩጫ በኢትዮጵያ) is an annual 10-kilometre
road running
Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road. This differs from track and field on a regular track and cross country running over natural terrain.
These events are usually classified as long-distance ac ...
event which takes place in late November in
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa (; am, አዲስ አበባ, , new flower ; also known as , lit. "natural spring" in Oromo), is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. It is also served as major administrative center of the Oromia Region. In the 2007 census, t ...
,
Ethiopia
Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...
.
Overview
The competition was first envisioned by neighbors Ethiopian runner
Haile Gebrselassie
Haile Gebrselassie ( am, ኀይሌ ገብረ ሥላሴ, ''haylē gebre silassē''; born 18 April 1973) is an Ethiopian retired long-distance track, road running athlete, and businessman. He won two Olympic gold medals and four World Champions ...
, Peter Middlebrook and Abi Masefield in late October 2000, following Haile's return from the
2000 Summer Olympics
The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...
. The 10,000 entries for the first edition quickly sold out and other people unofficially joined the race without a number.
[The Great Ethiopian Run - the world's toughest fun run]
. SPIKES Magazine
''SPIKES'' is an athletics website and magazine published by Haymarket Network in conjunction with the IAAF.
History and profile
The magazine and website were launched in July 2008 at an event attended by then IAAF vice president Lord Coe, Ste ...
. Retrieved on 2010-11-27. The creation of the race marked the first time that a major annual 10 km race had been held in the country, renowned for producing world-class runners. The day's events include an international and popular 10 km race and a 5 km women-only race.
The elite race attracts a number of prominent runners. Haile Gebrselassie won the inaugural men's race and at the second edition many of the country's top
long-distance runner
Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires endurance, stamina as well as mental strength.
Within e ...
s competed, with
Gebre Gebremariam
Gebregziabher Gebremariam (born September 10, 1984 in Tigray) is a retired Ethiopian long-distance runner. He established himself at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, winning the junior title in 2002 and two silver medals in the senio ...
,
Sileshi Sihine
Sileshi Sihine ( Amharic: ስለሺ ስህኔ; born January 29, 1983 in Sheno) is a retired Ethiopian long-distance runner.
Sileshi won silver medals in the 10,000 metres at both the 2004 Athens Olympics and the 2008 Beijing Olympics as well ...
and
Kenenisa Bekele
Kenenisa Bekele ( om, Qananiisaa baqqalaa; am, ቀነኒሳ በቀለ; born 13 June 1982) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner. He was the world record holder in both the 5000-metre and 10000-metre from 2004 (5,000m) and 2005 (10,000m) unti ...
comprising the top three in the men's race and
Worknesh Kidane
Werknesh Kidane (; born November 21, 1981), is an Ethiopian long distance runner from Tigray who competes in both 5000 and 10,000 metres. She has won numerous medals at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships and represented Ethiopia at the S ...
and
Tirunesh Dibaba
Tirunesh Dibaba ( om, Xirunesh Dibaabaa, Amharic: ጥሩነሽ ዲባባ ቀነኒ; born 1 June 1985) is an Ethiopian athlete who competed in long-distance track events and international road races. She has won three Olympic track gold medals, ...
taking first and second in the women's race. Although more established competitors do take part, the race is known for highlighting the best of Ethiopia's up-and-coming running talent – many of the race's podium finishers, little-known at the time, have gone on to achieve success on the global stage.
By 2005, the number of race entries had grown to 25,000 participants. There were around 35,000 runners competing at the 2010 edition. The combination of the quality of the national elite field and the time-impeding altitude of Addis Ababa (8000 ft) means that the international race does not attract many elite runners from other countries. Given the prominence of the race and its importance to emerging athletes, the races - particularly the men's - are hotly contested with large leading packs early on and much physical interaction. Standing in contrast to other large-scale running events,
fun run
A fun run is a friendly race that involves either road running or cross country running with participants taking part for their own enjoyment rather than competition. A fun run will usually be held to raise funds for a charity, with sponsors pro ...
ners at the Great Ethiopian Run do not typically compete to raise money for charity, but instead, compete for their own personal reasons.
[
The 2016 event saw over 40,000 registrations despite the fact that a 6-month state of emergency was declared in October following violent anti-government protests. Abe Gashahun and Foiteyn Tesfaye, both relatively new and unknown young athletes, were the surprise winners of the 16th edition of the Great Ethiopian Run 10km international road race which was held on Sunday, November 20, 2016.
Abe Gashahun won in a tight sprint finish ahead of Kenyan athlete Jorum Lumbasi, who became the first Kenyan male to place in the top three since Nathan Naibei finished 2nd here in 2005. Four athletes had entered the final home straight locked together and Gashahun only clinched victory in the final few metres of the race.
Gashahun, coached by Haji Ajilo comes from Debre Birhan, 120km northeast of Addis Ababa, and travelled to the capital yesterday for this race.
“I have competed abroad only twice until now, both times in France. I hope that my win today will give me more opportunities to compete in international races abroad, “he said after the race.
The women’s winner Foiteyn Tesfaye who was also appearing in the race for the first time surprised better-known names in the race. Tesfaye runs for the Messebo club based in the northern province of Tigray and is still relatively new to the racing scene in Addis Ababa.
The competition has had high-profile headline sponsors over its history: it was sponsored by Total from 2002–2003, ]Toyota
is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...
from 2004–2008, and Ethiopian Airlines
Ethiopian Airlines (commonly referred to as Ethiopian; am, የኢትዮጵያ አየር መንገድ, translit=Ye-Ītyōṗṗyā āyer menged), formerly ''Ethiopian Air Lines'' (EAL), is the flag carrier of Ethiopia, and is wholly owned by t ...
has been the current title sponsor since 2009.Jelila and Regassa win 10km in Addis Ababa
IAAF
World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body for ...
(2009-11-22). Retrieved on 2010-11-28.
Past winners
Key:
References
External links
Official website*Pictures and course of the Great Ethiopian Ru
20092011
{{Great Run Series
10K runs
Athletics competitions in Ethiopia
Sport in Addis Ababa
Recurring sporting events established in 2001
Annual sporting events in Ethiopia
2001 establishments in Ethiopia