Great Ethiopian Run
Encyclopedia
The Great Ethiopian Run 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 when the idea was first shared 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 days 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.
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
ners at the Great Ethiopian Run do not typically compete to raise money for charity, but instead compete for their own personal reasons.
The competition has had high profile headline sponsors over its history: it was sponsored by TOTAL
from 2002–2003, Toyota from 2004–2008, and Ethiopian Airlines
has been the current title sponsor since 2009.
Key:
Road running
Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road . These events would be classified as long distance according to athletics terminology, with distances typically ranging from 5 kilometers to 42.2 kilometers in the marathon. They may involve large numbers of runners...
event which takes place in late November in Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
, Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
.
The competition was first envisioned by neighbors Ethiopian runner Haile Gebrselassie
Haile Gebrselassie
Haile Gebrselassie is an Ethiopian long-distance track and road running athlete. He won two Olympic gold medals over 10,000 metres and four World Championship titles in the event. He won the Berlin Marathon four times consecutively and also had three straight wins at the Dubai Marathon...
, Peter Middlebrook
Peter Middlebrook
Dr. Peter J. Middlebrook is the Managing Director of Geopolicity Inc., and an English political economist/Political Scientist and Emerging Markets expert specializing in fragile states, international relations and the development of Transition economies...
and Abi Masefield in late October 2000, following Haile's return from the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
. Middlebrook established the proposal which Masefield presented to Brendan Foster
Brendan Foster
Brendan Foster CBE is a British former distance runner, entrepreneur and the founder of the Great North Run. He won the Bronze medal in the 10,000 metres at the 1976 Summer Olympics...
, originator of the Great Run series at the advice of her mother and close friend, Andrea Wonfor. Richard Nerurkar
Richard Nerurkar
Richard David Nerurkar MBE is a former track and field athlete from Great Britain, competing in the long-distance running events....
arrived in March 2001 when the idea was first shared 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 days 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
Sileshi Sihine
Sileshi Sihine is an Ethiopian long-distance runner.Sihine achieved a silver medal in the 10,000 metres at the 2004 Athens Olympics and the 2008 Beijing Olympics as well as at the 2005 World Championships and 2007 World Championships as well as a bronze medal in 2003...
and Kenenisa Bekele
Kenenisa Bekele
Kenenisa Bekele is an Ethiopian long-distance runner, who holds the world record and Olympic record in both the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres events...
comprising the top three in the men's race and Worknesh Kidane and Tirunesh Dibaba
Tirunesh Dibaba
Tirunesh Dibaba also known as Tirunesh Dibaba Kenene is an Ethiopian long distance track athlete and the outdoor 5000 metres world record holder. She is the current Olympic 5000 metres and 10,000 metres champion...
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
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 providing the revenue to cover organisational costs...
ners at the Great Ethiopian Run do not typically compete to raise money for charity, but instead compete for their own personal reasons.
The competition has had high profile headline sponsors over its history: it was sponsored by TOTAL
Total
-Mathematics:*Total, the summation of a set of numbers* Total function, a type of partial function in mathematics* Total order, a common total relation in mathematics* Total relation, a type of binary relation in mathematics-Business and enterprise:...
from 2002–2003, Toyota from 2004–2008, and Ethiopian Airlines
Ethiopian Airlines
Ethiopian Airlines , formerly Ethiopian Air Lines, often referred to as simply Ethiopian, is an airline headquartered on the grounds of Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It serves as the country's flag carrier, and is wholly owned by the Government of Ethiopia...
has been the current title sponsor since 2009.
Past winners
| Edition | Year | Men's winner | Time (m Minute A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units... :s Second The second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock.... ) |
Women's winner | Time (m Minute A minute is a unit of measurement of time or of angle. The minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour or 60 seconds. In the UTC time scale, a minute on rare occasions has 59 or 61 seconds; see leap second. The minute is not an SI unit; however, it is accepted for use with SI units... :s Second The second is a unit of measurement of time, and is the International System of Units base unit of time. It may be measured using a clock.... ) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2001 | 30:04 | 35:07 | ||
| 2nd | 2002 | 30:15 | 34:34 | ||
| 3rd | 2003 | 29:52.71 | 34:48 | ||
| 4th | 2004 | 29:57 | 34:18 | ||
| 5th | 2005 | 28:24.13 | 33:05.13 | ||
| 6th | 2006 | 28:18.61 | 33:02.25 | ||
| 7th | 2007 | 29:06.50 | 33:50.86 | ||
| 8th | 2008 | 28:55 | 33:31 | ||
| 9th | 2009 | 28:36 | 33:03 | ||
| 10th | 2010 | 29:25 | 33:35 | ||
| 11th | 2011 | 28:37 | 32:59 |
External links
- Official website
- Pictures and course of the Great Ethiopian Run 2009 2011