Great Ethiopian Run - 2014 I was part of a team of seven men and seven women from Stockport Harriers who won the Great Run club challenge and were sent to Addis Ababa to run in the Great Ethiopian Run. Here are a few comments and observations along the way (in no particular order): The next time you grab a coffee “to go” in Starbucks or Cafe Nero, have a think where the coffee comes from. Ethiopia produces some of the best coffee in the world and the coffee we tried over there was a small, intense expresso style cup. The baristas in the UK might make it in one minute but we attended two “Coffee Ceremonies” where it took 1 ½ hours before the coffee was ready – and the best I’ve ever tried, for only 50p a cup. Running at altitude was harder than I thought. Addis Ababa is at 2,500m and Yaya Resort at 2,700m. I understand that there is about 25% less oxygen at this type of altitude and its effects showed on training runs. For me, I had to run about one minute per mile slower than I would have back home for the same amount of effort required. The legs felt very heavy. Because of this (and the hilly course and the 10,000 people in front of me to weave round) I only managed 46 minutes on the 10k course. On the day of the main race, there were a few very distinct differences with a Great Run in the UK. Firstly, there were no portaloos whatsoever at the start of the race for the 37,000 runners – unsettling to say the least! And there were only four portaloos at the end of the race with very clear instructions given “no poo-poo”. Secondly, the pre-race brochure had two start times and dates; the conventional 9am time as well as 3.00 since locals also tell the time of day by the number of hours passed since sunrise (always being 6am as it is close to the Equator). Add to that the Ethiopian Gregorian calendar making it 2007 not 2014 and it’s a wonder how all runners turned up on time on the right day! The third difference; everyone wears the same brightly coloured Great Run t-shirt since it is their only entry requirement to the start line. And everyone starts at the same time, not in staggered waves, making it a carnival atmosphere. At one point when a local song floated over the tannoy the entire street stopped running and just danced and waved! The winner of the 10k (29.20 despite altitude and 140 metres of climbing) only won equivalent of £1,500 for their efforts, though a significant sum over there. The children’s race was the day before, and it was very noticeable that the kids who won each race were very often bare footed runners with a beautiful forefoot style of running (it was on grass). The people we met, almost on a daily basis, read like a who’s who of running. Haile Gebrselassie (set 27 world records and two gold Olympic medals) never stopped smiling and was very liberal with the Johnny Walker whiskey at his residence after the race. Kenenisa Bekele (world record holder for 5k (12.37) and 10k (26.18) set in 2004-2005) joined us on his 400m track. Alistair Brownlee was also out there for the 10k (non elite) and joined us for a 6.30am jog. Julia Bleasdale (8th in the 2012 Olympics 5k and 10k) was training at Yaya Resort for a few weeks and took us on a couple of early morning runs. I won’t miss the sound of hyenas howling in the woods behind our resort in the middle of the night, but it was generally a very safe place, but I’d encourage anyone to enter the 2015 Great Ethiopian Run for something completely different. Or enter a crack team in the Great Manchester 10k next year for a chance for a prize draw selection like us. Charlie
Posted on: Tue, 02 Dec 2014 08:21:56 +0000
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