The inaugural Haile Gebrselassie Marathon was staged this past Sunday in Hawassa, Ethiopia. The previous post on this blog site contained the race report — Shetema and Negede win inaugural Haile Marathon — but race organizer Rich Jayne, my old television producer from “Road Race of the Month”, sent the following pictures capturing the spirit of the day.
The following is a news release written by Richard Nurerkar following the inaugural Haile Gebrselassie Marathon.Shetema was the star athlete in the field, coming into the race with a PB of 2:07:34 (Paris, 2007), and led the race for the entire second half. In the end he bided his time until the final 200m to kick clear from Tekalegn Kebelo to win in a time of 2 hours and 15 minutes and 23 seconds.
“It wasn’t the prize that brought me here,” said Shentema at the finish, “but Haile’s name. He is our inspiration. I’ve raced him many times [including in Berlin in 2006 and Dubai in 2008] and I came here for the honour of claiming the title of the first Haile Marathon winner.”
In the women’s race, the first three athletes are all members of the Senbeta training group under Negash Dube. Almaz Negede won in a time of 2:39:50, just over a minute outside her previous best of 2:38:09 from the 2012 Bucharest International Marathon.
Both male and female winners collected 100,000 birr ($5,500) for their victories, the biggest ever prize for a road race in Ethiopia. Continue reading
The late, great Mike Long
This Sunday, October 20th, marks the inaugural running of the Haile Gebrselassie Marathon in Hawassa, Ethiopia. Hosted by the legendary distance runner who set 27 world records during his remarkable career, the Haile Marathon is limited to 1200 participants and 500 guests, and features a series of travel tour options to go along with the marathon itself.
Among the prizes awarded to the male and female champions will be the Mike Long Trophy, named in honor of Haile’s now departed dear friend. The trophies are a fitting testimonial to the legacy of love and friendship that Mike engendered during his career as elite athlete coordinator for San Diego-based Elite Racing from 1990 to his untimely death in July 2007. Continue reading
Organizers of the sold out 2013 Virgin London Marathon have generously donated TWO entries to the Entoto Foundation. Run one of the world’s most prestigious marathons and help a great cause! The entries will go to the 2 highest “bidders” (people who commit to raise the largest amount of funds for Entoto.) Funds can be raised by making a personal donation, receiving donations from friends and family in support of your run, or a combination of both.
Entoto will support you with a personal fundraising page that will be posted on our website and on Facebook. Bidders must commit to raising funds of $2000 or more per entry. Remember, this marathon is currently sold out!
And what a field London will have this year: course record holders from all five World Marathon Majors, plus the 2012 Olympic Marathon champion Stephen Kiprotich of Uganda, and the world record holder Patrick Makau of Kenya. In the women’s race you will see the highly anticipated marathon debut of the Ethiopia’s Tirunesh Dibaba, the triple Olympic gold medalist on the track and nine-time world champion who will take on four sub-2:20 performers from last year!
Be a part of history while helping ensure that someone without the same fortune of birth can better create a history of their own.
CLICK HERE to make a bid. It’s a win-win situation.
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And don’t forget that the Entoto Foundation has been named the official charity partner of the inaugural Haile Gebrselassie Marathon, coming this October 20th to Hawassa, Ethiopia. Experience a marathon hosted by history’s greatest runner.
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(Disclaimer: I am a board member of the Entoto Foundation)
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