1 February 2020 – Run Africa organised a camping weekend with a sleepover at Wenchi Crater Lake. We enjoyed the marvellous landscape of the crater at day and a campfire at night. To be repeated!
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
11 January 2020 – Run Africa athletes competed in the Jan Meda Cross-Country 10km elite race with a team of 9 supermen and 6 superwomen. Our fastest runners were Mekbel (31:42) and Ebbise (39:04). Very well done all!
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
22 December 2019 – Join Run Africa Weekend (RAW) Group Hike this Sunday 22 December at Gulele Botanical Garden!
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
17 November 2019 – Great Ethiopian Run edition 2019 was another wonderful day for Run Africa. Our guests from Brazil had a great time following their 10 days of training with us. The Run Africa club athletes also shined in their new shirts and our staff danced and ran with joy in the warm sunshine!
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
29 October 2019 – The count-down to Great Ethiopian Run has started. We are getting ready! And you? Join us for training and preparation to the Great Ethiopian Run! Or register via us if you have not done so yet!
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
13 October 2019 – A great weekend for running, both for Run Africa and for the world: Run Africa runners Charlie and Ilse both got a second place at Wenchi Lake Trail Run Half-Marathon. Kipchoge wrote history with the first ever 1.59 marathon time and Brigid Kosgei broke the female marathon world record. Wow!
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
6 October 2019 – Run Africa and Peaceful Travel cooperated to organize a weekend hike to Menagesha Forest. Amazing views, blooming flowers and happy people!
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
22 September 2019 – Run Africa, in cooperation with Peaceful Travel organised a hiking trip to Debre Libanos. As we are at the end of the rainy season, the waterfalls were abundant of water. The clouds came and went and created a magic atmosphere. We enjoyed a lot!
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
31 August 2019 – Run Africa teamed up with sister company GreenScene to organise Run for Trees. During a Fun Run for all ages, we planted 570 tree seedlings along the forest trails of Ararat Jerba. We have made Ethiopia a little bit greener.
Check out the video to get an impression of this wonderful day.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1 July 2019 – Registration is now open for the biggest race in Africa. The countdown is on! Selling out faster each year. Join Run Africa for pre-race training in Addis Ababa. November 17th is the big day!
https://runafrica.co/great-ethiopian-run/
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
6 May 2019 – Join our regular weekend group run-hike! 7am every Saturday! Discover new routes, landscapes and running lore in and around Addis Ababa. Camaraderie is a powerful motivator! Meet other fitness enthusiasts and learn dynamic stretches, exercises, tips and improved running form. Sociable, weekend morning jogging at a gentle pace, duration 40-60mins. Don’t want to run? Hikers and novices also catered for. ቅዳሜን ከኛ ጋራ
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
19 April 2019 – ኢትዮጵያውያን በሙሉ ሁሌም የምንስማማበት የማንደራደርበት አንድ ነገር አለ ፡ ሩጫ ፡ አበበ ቢቂላ በሮም አስፋልት ላይ ባዶ እግሩን ሮጦ አሸነፈ ሲባል ሰምተን ከተገረምነው ጀምሮ ፡ ቀነኒሳ ሀይሌን ቀድሞ አስሬ ወደ ሗላ እያየ ሲሮጥ አንድ ላይ እስከተሰማን ድረስ ፡ ጥሩነሽ ዲባባን አይተን ሳንጨርስ እጅጋየሁ እጅጋየሁ ስንል ገንዘቤ ገንዘቤ ስንል ማሬ ዲባባ ሆነው ከአንድ ቤት ካስደሰቱን ጀምሮ ፡ እስከ ማርሽ ቀያሪው ምሩፅ ይፍጠር በሞት ተለይቶን እስካስከፋን ድረስ ፡ ከአመታት በፊት ላሸነፍነውም ሆነ ፡ ከሳምንታት በፊት ከአለም አንደኛ ለወጣነው ፡ ሁሌም ደስታችን አንድ ነው ፡ ፍቅራችን አንድ ነው ፡ ኢትዮጵያ ፡ የጀግኖች ሀገር ፡ የሯጮች ሀገር ።
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
17 April 2019 – Tirunesh Dibaba was once asked how it feels to represent a country like Ethiopia with such a distinguished athletics history and she said,
“Our country is not like other countries, you should bring back gold when you compete for Ethiopia. The people don’t accept anything less, they won’t be happy with anything less. Silver and bronze in our country are no better than finishing fifth or sixth. I want to make people happy and therefore think of finishing first. My heart pounds when I think of this, and that why I train hard, to make the people happy.”
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
10 April 2019 – The Ethiopian National Team is back after securing the number one spot in the world at the IAAF WORLD CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS AARHUS 2019. Their first stop yesterday was the National Palace to receive their prizes from the hands of the Prime Minister and to have an honorary dinner with the athletics community.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
5 April 2019 – This is what Run Africa is all about. Here are some pictures of our guests with our athletes and their faces says it all. By coming to us, you are not only experiencing the authentic running culture of Ethiopia but also helping us by creating a job for these local athletes. What better way for them to earn money than doing what they love and know best? So thank you for everyone that has joined us so far. For the people to come, we will be waiting for you, with our running shoes on. As always, from all of us here at Run Africa, have a wonderful weekend.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2 April 2019 – Huge respect for this exceptional woman. Derartu Tulu: the first black African woman to win an Olympic gold medal and the new president of the Ethiopian Athletics Federation (EAF). There is no question that the success of our national athletics team on this year’s IAAF World Cross Country Championships is in large part thanks to her. A truly incredible athlete and personality.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1 April 2019 – The number one ranked team in the world. The number one ranked team in Africa. IAAF WORLD CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS AARHUS 2019. Ethiopia🇪🇹. Congratulations everyone! እንኳን ደስ ያላችሁ ፡ እንኳን ደስ ያለን!
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
25 March 2019 – This year’s Addis Ababa Athletics Federation Club Championships ended yesterday and the spotlight was on the short distance races as new athletes debuted in this category. Run Africa athletes didn’t disappoint among the 24 clubs that took part in the race.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
19 March 2019 – Throwback to Great Ethiopian Run 2018. Can you guess this legend behind all the cameras?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
15 March 2019 – We again ran into upcoming paralympic skier Hester Poole at the Women First 5k here in Addis Ababa. If you had any doubt whether an 11-year-old visually impaired girl from the UK could run 5 kilometres alongside 14,000 others at 2,500m altitude, you are proven wrong!
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
12 March 2019 – We are all going through difficult times so here is something to brighten your day from our camera on the UN 2019 Women 1st 5k Run representing all the fierce ladies on the race.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
11 March 2019 – It is literally a Black Monday in Ethiopia today following the tragic accident yesterday on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 301 which claimed the life of 149 passengers and 8 crew on board. The whole country is still in shock and declared a day of national morning for the plane crash victims. Flags will be lowered across the nation and Ethiopian Airlines has decided to ground all B-737-8 MAX fleet effective yesterday until further notice. Similarly, China orders its airlines to ground all Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft after two fatal crashes involving that model in the past five months. We express our profound sympathy and condolences to the families and loved ones of the passengers and crew who lost their lives on March 10. And we will stand together with Ethiopian Airlines on this difficult day as the investigation continues.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
8 March 2019 – እንኳን ሴት ተሆኖ ይቅርና አትሌት መሆን በራሱ ከባድ ነው and today, on Women’s day, as we look back at all our struggles, pains and losses on one side. Our laughs, wins and joys on the other. One thing is for sure. We are bloody proud of our athletes. And it’s our pleasure to be on this journey with you. በርቱልን ሁሌም ከጎናችሁ ነን ፡ መልካም የሴቶች ቀን everyone.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
6 March 2019 – It was all about girl power at the Run Africa office yesterday when Hester Poole, an 11-year-old girl from Bath UK who has visual impairment came by to give our female athletes a visit. Hester came to Ethiopia with her ski coach, Charlotte Evans MBE Gold Medalist Paralympic Alpine Ski Race Guide to take part in the Women First 5K Run on Sunday 10th March and raise funds for the Mekele School for the Blind. We didn’t know what to expect at first but we can honestly say she is truly incredible. Last year, she challenged herself to do 100 sports in 100 days to raise funds for her visually impaired ski racing team. We asked her why she is undertaking this latest challenge, and where her inspiration comes from. She simply replied, “To prove to people that just because I can’t see it doesn’t mean I can’t do”. We are honoured by her presence and we want to thank Ethiopiaid UK for this opportunity.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
26 February 2019 – Our girls. Our champs. Bertukan Mekonnen and Tseganesh Yirdu celebrating after the China win. The funny thing is, these girls are supernatural athletes that can compete with anybody in the world but when it comes to facing the camera, they are still nervous and shy. It’s probably easier for them to win a medal than to give us a smile looking up.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
25 February 2019 – What better way to relax your mind in a hotel than a walk or a run in the Addis mountains. Run Africa is partnered with Radisson Blu and Bole Ambassador hotel to give you the ultimate outdoor getaway. With pick-up and drop-off service from your hotel, friendly experienced athlete guides and sessions tailored to suit you all.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
19 February 2019 – We feel so honoured to be a part of Jon Snow Inc.’s FUN RUN at “Jan Meda” celebrating 25 years of partnership to improve public health. We truly believe that what you are doing is changing lives across the country and we wish you many more years of success to come.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
15 February 2019 – Adding to the corruption, the rise in the number of independent athlete managers is becoming a big problem in East African countries. Rather than supporting and helping the athletes, these managers tire them out and try to find a way to make more money off of them. The limited access to international races and good representatives makes the athletes open to extortion. Run Africa thinks it’s everyone’s responsibility to protect the athletes and show them the right way to achieve their dream. With the right foundation and basic knowledge of management, these athletes can have a proper career that can extend more than just one or two races.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
14 February 2019 – Happy Valentine’s Day!
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
7 February 2019 – The most frequent question we get asked is, Will I be able to keep up with the athletes? And we always answer, ABSOLUTELY. From beginner to professional, our athletes are used to working with a different level of runners all the time. They are there to support, guide and motivate you. Occasionally, you might get a little whooping here and there but if you are in Ethiopia, you might as well run like an Ethiopian. If that’s even possible.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
24 January 2019 – There you go! Our fearless boss representing Ethiopia at the UNWTO and NEPAD African Tourism Tech Adventure Master class, as one of the finalists of the competition from Africa which included representatives from Senegal, Uganda, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
23 January 2019 – We’ve been itching to tell you this news! Now that they are back from China, we take great pleasure in announcing that Run Africa athletes Bertukan Mekonen and Tseganesh Yerdu came 3rd and 7th in the 2018 Yangtze River Three Gorges International Marathon. Then, just seven days later later, they finished 3rd and 4th in the Shenzhen Bao’an International Half Marathon. JUST SEVEN DAYS LATER! “ኮርተንባቹሀል”
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
21 January 2019 – Did you know that you can find these random workout areas in the forests where athletes usually train? Because athletes don’t have the time to go to gyms and have to exercise while running, they built these wooden training areas so that anyone can join while running. These natural gyms in the forest help the athletes build their strength without going to an actual fitness center.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
14 January 2019 – There is something special about watching your country’s flag being raised in front of the whole world while listening to your national anthem. The feeling you get knowing that it’s because of you. Honouring something bigger than yourself. Your country. Your people. Your motherland. In this case, it’s the 1964 Tokyo Olympics where Abebe Bikila took the Gold medal and put his country on the spotlight.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
9 January 2019 – Being an athlete in Ethiopia is hard but being a female on top of that is harder. Most women athletes come from the countryside to the big city without any knowledge or basic life skills which makes them vulnerable. They come to depend on men for day-to-day breadwinning and house rent which makes them exposed to abuse and extortion. Run Africa addresses this by drawing on our personalised athletics training and tourism packages with professional and personal skills development for the members of our club. We believe this gives our women the confidence and ability to win not only on the track but in their everyday life.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1 January 2019 – We’re not always about high altitude training and mountain hiking excursions. Sometimes we’re just about having a good time and showing off your moves. We guess you can call this part Dance Africa.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
31 December 2018 – Another one of our Hiking Adventures and this time, it’s a couple of little girls we found just outside of town who stole our hearts with their smile.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
20 December 2018 – ‘Chechebsa’, the primary food of our athletes. Growing up in Ethiopia every kid has been told by his mom ‘if you want to grow up and be like Haile Gebrselassie or Derartu Tulu then you should eat more Chechebsa.’ Crunchy goodness. Finely hand-kneaded unleavened gluten-free Teff flour tossed in buttery berbere sauce. But the influence of this food extends far more than that. Most elite Ethiopian athletes hail from rural backgrounds and move to the city to pursue athletics. They struggle to get enough money to have optimal nutrition and maintain their body in shape. And ‘Chechebsa’ is the only food that is available for a reasonable price that has a good diet.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
18 December 2018 – Budhia Singh, also known as ‘The Marathon Boy’, is a former Indian long-distance runner who was listed as the world’s youngest marathon runner in 2006. He ran an astonishing 40 Miles (65 Km) in seven hours and two minutes at the age of only 5.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
28 November 2018 – This is what Run Africa is all about. Two countries with different cultures joined by the sport that they love in the land of runners. Explore each other’s traditions and discover the secrets of the Ethiopian highlands. Learn, love and laugh together.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1 November 2018 – Africa Dot Com’s identification of the ten best ever African female athletes, as of 2018, included three Ethiopians. In no particular order, they were Meseret Defar (ETH), Derartu Tulu (ETH), Tirunesh Dibaba (ETH), Maria Lourdes Mutola (MOZ), Kirsty Leigh Coventry (ZIM), Françoise Mbango (CAM), Caster Semenya (RSA), Isabelle Sambou (SEN), Nawal El Moutawakel (MOR) and Portia Modise (RSA).
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
25 October 2018 – Throwback: d’you recognise Rui from our promo video? Having breakfast the Ethio-athlete way. Injera ferfer, chechebsa, biscuits, coffee and avo-nana juice. Almost zero fat + plenty of carb + plenty of protein.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
19 October 2018 – Visa-free entry to Ethiopia for all Africans beginning very shortly! A huge step forward for the country’s business, tourism, airline and continental relations. Positive ramifications for travelling athletes also inevitable.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
17 October 2018 – Ethiopian athletes don’t generally make a habit of fried anything, but we couldn’t avoid a cluck-cluck chuckle at this yesterday (on World Food Day).
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
15 October 2018 – British Sikh Fauja Singh is the first known centenarian marathoner. Born in 1911, he ran the 2011 Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 8:11:06. Fauja is vegetarian – ‘My diet is phulka, dal, green vegetables, yogurt, milk, lots of water and tea with ginger. I don’t touch fried food.’ On the marathon: ‘The first 20 miles aren’t difficult. As for the last 6 miles, I run while talking to God.’
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
See more recent news | See previous news