Run in one of the world’s most iconic 10km races at altitude in East Africa with the charity Orbis UK.
Join Orbis UK for a trip of a lifetime to the Great Ethiopian Run in November. The 10km event is Africa’s biggest road race with more than 45,000 participants and winners over the years such as Haile Gebrselassie, Tirunesh Dibaba and Yalemzerf Yehualaw.
As part of the Orbis team, the charity will handle your travel, accommodation, and food and race entry. The eye care charity will also guide you every step of the way as you experience life in this fascinating country with traditional dining, entertainment and excursions included.
By joining Orbis at the 2024 Great Ethiopian Run, you’ll be helping to save sight too. You will witness Orbis at work in the local community and visit a local school and water station to see how Orbis is making real change in the region. Meskerem, a seven-year-old girl who lives in a village in Ethiopia with her parents, grandmother and three younger brothers, is one of the people you could help.
She should be enjoying her time at school right now but because she suffers from an active trachoma, a painful and highly contagious eye disease, the sunlight hurts her eyes, making it difficult to read or write. Symptoms include itching, irritation, discharge, swelling, light sensitivity and redness. Without treatment, repeated trachoma infections can lead to irreversible blindness. Meskerem is not alone either. More than nine million children aged one to nine in Ethiopia live with active trachoma. However, with the provision of antibiotics during twice-yearly mass drug administrations in her village and education on good hygiene practices, trachoma can be prevented.
Her mother, Alemitu, says: “Meskerem has discharge from her eyes and hides from the sunlight. Trachoma stops her from playing with her brothers and makes school difficult for her. It’s a painful condition.”
Normally playful and energetic, Meskerem becomes withdrawn when her trachoma infection flares up. Her village, with 10-15 homes close together, relies on farming and pottery work. Without electricity and with limited latrine facilities, the nearest clean water is an hour’s walk away.
In 2017, the local trachoma prevalence rate was as high as 30%. Thanks to the sustained efforts of Orbis and partners, this rate has fallen to 9% in the most recent survey. Key to this progress are the mass drug administrations and house-to-house screenings by Orbis-trained Integrated Health Workers. By running the Great Ethiopian Run with Orbis you will be joining them on their mission to bring sight and hope to children like Meskerem.
Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital and venue for the Great Ethiopian Run, is an epicentre of global running. Many of the greatest endurance athletes in the world train in Addis or the nearby Entoto Mountains with many of them taking part in the annual Great Ethiopian Run.
Grand African Run Plays Significant Role in Bringing Ethiopian Diaspora Together, Says Athlete Derartu Tulu
The Grand African Run strengthens solidarity and fosters unity among Ethiopians living abroad, Athletics Federation President, Derartu Tulu said.
The upcoming 6th edition of the Grand African Run will be held in Washington D.C. on October 12, 2024, under the theme “Togetherness is better.”
“This annual event brings Ethiopians and their families together to celebrate their culture,” the Grand African Run said in a statement sent to ENA. “It’s conducive to share their heritage with their children, “Derartu added.
She also expressed hope for a vibrant celebration and encouraged all Ethiopians abroad to be on board. The Grand African Run Director General, Gashaw Abaza on his part said the event is a one-day, 5km family fun run.
He also said it’s an opportunity for Ethiopians, their descendants, and all Africans to connect with their roots and support worthy charitable causes. The general director also highlighted the event’s role in reuniting the Ethiopian diaspora.
He called it a joyous homecoming for the Ethiopian diaspora community. Adding to the excitement, the director announced there will be a lottery draw to all the participants to win a brand new 2024 Toyota Corolla.
Gudaf Tsegay signs up for three Gold medals at Paris Olympics
Ethiopian Gudaf Tsegay will be seeking to emulate Sifan Hassan after signing up for three races at the Paris Olympics with two of them set to be against Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon.
The Ethiopian Athletics Federation has announced its roster for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, and two-time world champion Gudaf Tsegay is set to compete in an ambitious triple: the 1500m, 5000m, and 10,000m races.
Tsegay, who has medaled in all three events at international championships, recently ran the third fastest 1500m time in history and holds the world record in the 5000m from last year’s Prefontaine Classic. She also posted the third fastest 10,000m time just a month ago.
This move adds significant excitement to the women’s 1500m, where Faith Kipyegon was widely expected to achieve a three-peat. Kipyegon, who will run the 1500m and 5000m double, won both events at the last World Championships, setting up a highly anticipated showdown with Tsegay.
Tsegay’s attempt to compete in three events mirrors the feat of Dutch athlete Sifan Hassan at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Hassan won gold in the 5000m and 10,000m, and bronze in the 1500m, becoming the only athlete to medal in all three events at a single Olympics.
At the 2023 World Championships, Hassan repeated her remarkable performance with silver in the 5000m and bronze in the 1500m, though she placed 11th in the 10,000m.
Other notable Ethiopian athletes at the Paris Olympics include Birke Haylom and Diribe Welteji in the 1500m, Medina Eisa and Ejgayehu Taye in the 5000m, and Sembo Almayew in the steeplechase.
The 800m squad features Duguma, Alemu, and Mesele. On the men’s side, Yomif Kejelcha will attempt the 5000m and 10,000m double for the first time, while reigning Olympic champion Selemon Barega will focus on the 10,000m alongside Aregawi.
National record holder Hagos Gebrhiwet will compete in the 5000m after a historic run in Oslo. The men’s steeplechase team includes Lamecha Girma, Firewu, and Wale.
One surprising omission from the team is 2022 10k World Champion and world record holder Letesenbet Gidey. The reasons for her exclusion have not been disclosed. Freweyni Hailu, Hirut Meshesha, and Biniam Mehary are listed as reserves.