Ethiopia’s Running Town’s Budding Stars Race Beyond Covid-19
A Running Legacy
225 kilometres south of Ethiopia’s capital city, Addis Ababa, lies Bekoji — a town renowned for producing running stars who have collectively brought home 18 Olympic medals to date.
Pandemic Pause
However, recent months saw the town’s eucalyptus forests — typically transformed into a training ground for aspiring running, extremely bare after the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in March had the Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government declare the country in a state of emergency.
A lockdown decision that consequently disrupted athletic gatherings (among many other things) to be lifted months later in September. Just in time for Bekoji-native three-time Olympic gold medalist holder and five-time world champion Kenenisa Bekele to face off against Kenyan icon and marathon world record-holder Eliud Kipchoge in the London Marathon on Sunday.
Back on Track
This is the latest sign of a return to normalcy for Bekoji’s runners after pandemic-related disruptions and a huge boost of inspiration for the young runners who saw the pandemic put their athletic dreams on hold.
Fatiya Abdi, local rack coach, shared her take on the current energy amongst the town’s young runners, “The race in which Kenenisa (Kenenisa Bekele, an Ethiopian long-distance runner who will compete in the 2020 London Marathon -ed.) will compete will motivate the townspeople and the athletes, it will encourage our athletes to work hard and motivate them to prepare for their own competitions.”
Hanna Awugichew, a 16-year-old ambitious teen who trains with Abdi by way of the Girls Gotta Run organisation has been itching to get back into the swing of things ever since the coronavirus prevention restrictions were put in place eight months ago and is happy to once again be instructed in person alongside her mates, “We had prepared for the competition and trained well, I was very excited to reach my goal but we couldn’t compete because of coronavirus, and that was very disappointing.”
Champions in Training
Awugchew — who qualified for a national competition in the 400-metre dash, aspires to be Ethiopia’s next elite runner. Just like many of her mates who hope to emulate Bekoji’s numerous international running stars — household names like Derartu Tulu, Fatuma Roba and Tirunesh Dibaba, and carry on the town’s legacy.
