Great Ethiopian Run
| Great Ethiopian Run | |
|---|---|
Official logo
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| Date | Late November |
| Location | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia |
| Event type | Road |
| Distance | 10K |
| Established | 2001 |
| Official site | www |
The Great Ethiopian Run (Amharic: ታላቁ ሩጫ በኢትዮጵያ?) is an annual 10-kilometre road running event which takes place in late November in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The competition was first envisioned by neighbors Ethiopian runner Haile Gebrselassie, Peter Middlebrook and Abi Masefield in late October 2000, following Haile's return from the 2000 Summer Olympics. Middlebrook established the proposal which Masefield presented to Brendan Foster, originator of the Great Run series at the advice of her mother and close friend, Andrea Wonfor. Richard Nerurkar arrived in March 2001 at which point Peter Middlebrook shared the idea with former British Ambassador to Ethiopia Myles Wickstead, who subsequently championed the race. The 10,000 entries for the first edition quickly sold out and other people unofficially joined in the race without a number. 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 countries top long-distance runners competed, with Gebre Gebremariam, Sileshi Sihine and Kenenisa Bekele comprising the top three in the men's race and Worknesh Kidane and Tirunesh Dibaba 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.
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Wikipedia