The Great Ethiopian Run now, the largest road race in Africa, has reached its 24th chapter this year. It was conceived and founded by the renowned athlete Haile Gebre Selassie himself a great champion and arguably the greatest runner of his period of active life in competitions. Certainly, he has been a great example of patriotism and endurance in becoming and transforming himself from modest beginnings to a very successful sports personality representing his country in major international competitions such as the Olympics and the World Championships. He has also become a great entrepreneur employing thousands of citizens. The Great Ethiopian Run was initiated with him even running in the first contest way back in 1993 Ethiopian Calendar and has been held every year uninterruptedly twenty-four times including this year’s event held on Sunday, November 17, 2017 Eth Cal.
This year it has been awarded worldwide recognition as one of the international road races, if not among the best and most fascinating. In a way, it is a demonstration of how successful Ethiopian athletics is and the event has always attracted internationally renowned athletes who have come to compete here and have given some international flair and taste to the festival. This has meant that the event is not only a purely local affair. This year the event has attracted athletes from 24 countries and the race mainly sponsored by Sofi Malt, a brand of soft drink, has raised the award for the winners to 250 thousand birr in both categories, female and male.
The Great Ethiopian Run began the first event with ten thousand participants and has been increasing the number of participants continuously as it became more and more popular and more known in the country the demand continued to increase every year up to now reaching the landmark of fifty thousand participants. It has become an event to get together with a kind of yearly festival for everybody creating the conditions also for potential runners that could take part in international contests. Many of our glorious athletes have gone through this competition with significant records that served them as a launching pad for their future careers.
Many beginners have shown their potential and secured the attention of the various clubs that operate in the country. It is known that there are several athletics-focused clubs in many government establishments such as the defense forces, the law enforcement establishments, and companies such as Ethiopian Insurance Company, and the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia to cite the major institutions that have produced so many athletes in many disciplines and fields bringing glory and fame to their establishments and the country as a whole.
The Great Ethiopian Run has also served as a kind of charitable organization because people who take part in this contest have begun organizing fundraising situations to be handed to the organizers of the event and there have been sponsors who contributed lots of money that were handed over to charities. Every contest every year has a slogan and this year’s slogan is “Enough food for children” as it is known that there are millions of children who are underfed or not sufficiently fed with all the basic ingredients that are crucial for their proper growth. In this respect, there is a lot to do in Ethiopia and there are several charitable organizations that try to change this grim situation.
The Great Ethiopian Run also raises huge amounts of money from the sales of the colorful sweaters that runners use during the race. This fund is always handed over to charities and in this sense; it encourages solidarity between people and volunteerism. It encourages compassion for those who may be in dire conditions or are less privileged than others.
The race of ten kilometers is carried out in the principal roads near the center of Addis Ababa and it is broadcast ‘live’ on Ethiopian Television which has contributed to the expansion and popularity of the event. Many have begun running or doing other amateur contests and training for their health and many others have been motivated to try to run for a good position among the thousands of runners and aspire to reach higher places in the echelon of athletics. The inspiration of this grand road race has been instrumental in producing new talents that otherwise might never have been discovered.
Asked on the eve of this year’s event the founder of the Great Ethiopian Run Major Athlete Haile Gebre Selassie has said that, this race has become so popular that it has been replicated in other Ethiopian cities as well and it has gained the attention of the international media. He said this year it has obtained recognition as one of the biggest and most impressive road races in the world. He added that he was sure that it was the most significant in Africa. Every year there are distinguished guests from the athletics world to be present on the podium prepared to handle the ceremony and have space to give awards to the winners. The event is so important that high-ranking officials of the government are present at the launching of the beginning of the race in the early morning hours of the day.
This year at the 24th Great Ethiopian Run there was President Taye Atske Selassie, the Mayor of Addis Ababa Adanech Abiebie, the Minister of Health Dr. Mekdes Daba, the Minister of Tourism Selamawit Kassa, and several ambassadors resident in Ethiopia. One other attraction of this race is that it is composed of various categories of runners.
There are the ‘elite athletes’ who are fast and begin the race earlier and then there are those in the mass who have registered among the category of faster ones and those who relax and take it easy during the race. At times they pause or take a rest in the middle of the race and enjoy singing and dancing as if it were a cultural festival or a carnival. There is also a race between children in the teenage group held on the eve of the adults’ race. These children begin to have an early awareness of their health condition because they take part in such events.
This is one of the peculiar beauties that you don’t find in other similar races. But another interesting aspect of the race is the special contest between diplomats and foreign mission leaders such as ambassadors which renders the competition even more colorful and exciting.
The Great Ethiopian Run has also become a tourist attraction because many foreigners come on purpose to attend not only the festival but also to take part in the competition and have fun with the other runners. Many of them have expressed their admiration for not only the race but also for the country they find themselves in. They said they were fascinated by the beauty of Addis and the wonderful weather conditions also because those who come from the northern hemisphere have left home the chill and snow of the winter season. They expressed their joy for having taken part in the race.
They were fascinated by people they saw singing and dancing to the various cultural musical beats of Ethiopia’s ‘land of origin’, a mosaic of peoples and cultures. What a better occasion to introduce Ethiopia to the world which very often has mistaken or misinformed ideas that create negative impressions. Such events definitely contribute to changing the image of the country and stimulate the flow of tourists to the country. What better occasion to show to the world not only the beauty of the city which is the capital of Africa and the seat of various international missions and organizations, but also the wonderful weather conditions that contribute to the enthusiasm of the participants of the race! What better occasion to show to the world that Addis Ababa is a peaceful place to live in with its wonderful avenues sidelined by trees, parks, and fountains as a result of the recent Corridor Development Project continuing. More is being undertaken by the City Council and make Addis Ababa not only a more beautiful place but also one that is cleaner and healthier with a lot more green areas and playgrounds for people to exercise and children to play.
The greening of Addis is added to the five-year-old Green Legacy Initiative that up to now has resulted in the planting of forty billion tree seedlings in the whole of the country raising the forest coverage by 6% according to the latest official figures released by the government. It is an achievement that has been praised and lauded by environmental activists and institutions.
The Great Ethiopian Run is covered by several international media and the presence of tourists from many countries gives it worldwide extra publicity which contributes to the image building of Ethiopia. Ethiopia has not yet exploited its tourism potential and such events will serve as a brick to build on along with other activities that the Ministry of Tourism will be engaged in. Tourism is one of the pillars of the country’s economy and is part of the long-term plan to make it reach significant heights.
BY FITSUM GETACHEW
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD TUESDAY 19 NOVEMBER 2024
