Out of thin air 10.2km, . 28 November 2004

Where does talent come from? It comes overwhelmingly from , out of the thin air of upland and . Kenya got in first, and established something of a hegemony, but it is the Ethiopian star which is now in the ascendant. For decades after East Africa emerged as the hotbed of running talent, and well after such time as both Kenyans and had established themselves internationally (from and Kip Keino onwards), there was no local showcase for their abilities. Running was an export entrants, but many thousands passage for the runners, but there square – shaded diplomatic cars industry, and runners went more jumped in among them after is also a vast expanse of gently bearing Prime Minister Meles overseas to perform. It has only the start. All official entrants arcing terraces on the south side, Zenawi to the tribune. He took his been since 2001 that Ethiopia receive a T-shirt as their proof of forming an amphitheatre place between IAAF President itself has had a stage on which to entry, and the 100m-wide road overlooking the start area. The Lamine Diack and Ethiopia’s display prodigious home-grown cutting through the start area in raking of the terraces defines a greatest ever distance runner. talent. Meskel Square quickly becomes series of paths which runners use has been filled with the year’s chosen to warm up. On other days they instrumental in the success of the That was when the Great colour. provide a training venue in race, and won the very first Ethiopian Run started up, themselves as runners work their edition. immediately attracting 10,000 Meskel Square is the perfect way to and fro to the top of the entries. This year’s fourth edition setting for spectacle. The huge stepped area. The activity around the startline of the race had 20,000 official expanse of tarmac provides was making the mass runners To the north side is a building restless. As the police cordon constructed as a tribune. This parted to allow them to approach acted as a reviewing stand for the start, they ran pell-mell state dignitaries during the huge towards it. Elite runners filed out military parades held by the from the side in controlled panic, Mengistu regime during the 1970s desperate to be away before the and 1980s. For the purposes of human wave washed over them. the race it is an ideal starter’s Within seconds there had been a podium. false start involving thousands, as A red-jacketed marching band officials screamed into the public paraded around the square and address system, urging restraint. drew up alongside the tribune as Miraculously, the wave halted. the first event got underway. Police then began the equally Thirty crank-handled tricycles difficult task of getting runners trundled to the far side of the back to the start line as the Prime square and back. Participants Minister spoke ceremonial words. were mainly landmine victims. Haile Gebrselassie added his After years of separatist war exhortation for runners to regroup Ethiopia is one of the most behind the gantry, and they heavily mined countries in the almost managed to do so by the world. time that the official start was signalled. As the regulation blue trikes came over the finish line, another This time there was no set of vehicles converged in the stopping, as 20,000 runners

66 DISTANCE RUNNING January - March 2005 Result MEN: 1 Abebe DINKESSA ETH 29:57 2 Zenbaba YEGEZU ETH 30:01 3 Maeregu ZEWDE ETH 30:04 4 Gebo BURKA ETH 30:09 5 Lishan YIGEZU ETH 30:13 6 Alene EMERE ETH 30:20 7 Solomon TSIGE ETH 30:23 8 ETH 30:24 9 Roba GEBRE ETH 30:26 10 Abate ATAFETEGNE ETH 30:27 WOMEN: 1 Genet GETANEH ETH 34:18 2 Teyiba ERKESSO ETH 34:30 3 Eyerusalem KUMA ETH 34:33 4 Teke GELANEH ETH 34:36 5 Amani GODANA ETH 34:47 6 Adanech ZEKIROS ETH 34:48 7 Emebet BETA ETH 34:49 8 Aheza KIROS ETH 34:56 9 Meron NEGASSA ETH 35:05 10 Asnaketch MENGISTU ETH 35:14

internationally known names to record “the greatest achievement of my career”. One of those names, Teyba Erkesso, who finished second in the 2004 World Cross-Country, admitted “this is cleared the line in little over four slower runners still on their first complained of a knee injury the most difficult race I have ever minutes. The first kilometre of lap. which forced him to slow down been in”. The thin air of Addis roadway, tapering out of sight up over the last two kilometres The fast-moving favourites are Ababa is a fertile breeding ground the hill, became a river of red T- for new running talent, and the shirts. The course is a lap of 3.4km on one side of the grassy road The course then flows gently divider and the slower runners on downhill, turning onto Haile Great Ethiopian Run provides followed by a lap of 6.8km. Race means by which it can emerge. leaders, climbing up behind the the other, cheering out their Gebrselassie Avenue just before Palace grounds after 2km, then encouragement. At 7km the front 9km. The finishing straight starts Eyerusalem Kuma, third in the sweep down the hill back into runners are again climbing the hill here, over a kilometre distant women’s race and a seasoned Meskel Square after less than 10 behind the Palace. In the thin air from the line, and rises slightly campaigner in World Cross- minutes. A long line of runners of Addis Ababa, 2600m above sea before reaching Meskel Square. Country and Athletics were strung out without anyone level, a hill like this is a severe Dinkessa stormed into the Square Championships commented “I having broken away and with the test of condition, and Abebe hotly pursued by the almost prefer , and it is very pace too quick for very much Dinkassa threw down his unknown Zenbaba Yegezu. This nice and educational to have a bunching to occur. Leading challenge. race provides good opportunities race like this in our country”. runners lapped back markers for ambitious newcomers, as yet Dinkassa had run a 12km stage unencumbered by the fatigue of It is also educational for the momentarily, before diverting in an Ekiden relay in only onto the larger lap after 4.3km. intercontinental travel, to foreign runners who participate, five days previously, but he rose challenge the established stars. and for the world as a whole. At the western end of the above any fatigue to almost sprint News from Ethiopia is MarkPhotos: Shearman course, just past 5km, runners away from the others. He gained Genet Getaneh had also been usually of strife, but the turn sharply back on themselves. 30m before anyone could react. As in Japan for an Ekiden, but back in struggle for athletic After another he crested the hill and passed the January 2004. She was supremacy on the kilometre the UN Headquarters in Africa at 8km, on the fringes of the streets of Addis leaders are he had a lead of 50m. He later Ethiopian team, Ababa is an again running but overcame more altogether different alongside story.

DISTANCE RUNNING January - March 2005 67