Ethiopia, a land of stunning landscapes and warm-hearted people, holds a special place in the world of athletics, particularly in long-distance running. The country's unique running culture and the dedication of its athletes have produced some of the greatest runners in history. Among the key figures in this success story is Haile Gebrselassie, an Ethiopian legend who has made significant contributions to the sport, including the establishment of the renowned YaYa Athletics Village.
In November 2015, one traveler made their first trip to Ethiopia and was blown away by the contrast between the two East African nations. Ethiopia was more beautiful than I could ever have imagined! Staying right on the edge of Addis Ababa, they got to experience both city and country life and for two weeks immersed themselves in the famous Ethiopian running culture.
Any running safari should begin in Addis Ababa. Recreational runners and wannabe stars train along the tiered steps of Meskel Square, one of the most unique places in the city to run.
Meskel Square in Addis Ababa
The Vision of Haile Gebrselassie
As my running buddies joked about me getting training tips from the Ethiopians I decided to Google "Running camp Addis Ababa". Top of the search results came YaYa Athletics Village owned by a famous Ethiopian runner, Haile Gebrselassie. Another Google search and I learned why exactly this man is considered a legend: Gebrselassie had used his experiences competing around the world to design and build a chain of high standard hotels. One of these hotels was the YaYa Athletics Village.
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The project is worth an estimated 80 million birr and will be constructed in three phases. The shareholders of the company include two prominent athletes - Haile Gebrselassie and Belay Welasha, as well as an Ethiopian born Canadian businessman and former athlete Joseph Kibur. The facility will include a running track, hotel, restaurant, gymnasium and sports clinic. It is to be built on 50,000 sq. m.
“Haile, who has been making athletics history for the better part of two decades is about to make a new history by building the first private athletics village in the country. part of this history”, says Joseph Kibur, President and major shareholder of the company.
Once the facility is fully operational, selected individuals will be provided with the range of services required for world class athletes. In addition to providing services for local athletes, the hotel in the facility will also be used to house foreign athletes interested in high altitude training.
Experiencing YaYa Village
In March 2014 I was lucky enough to return to Ethiopia. This time I stayed at the magnificent Yaya Village in Sululta, just north of the capital. During my three week stay I ate well, trained hard, made friends, and met some of Ethiopia’s most famous distance runners. I sampled Ethiopian food, visited some of the Addis Ababa’s most important museums, and soaked up as much as I could of warm sunshine.
YaYa Village is the top place for visiting athletes to stay, and runners of all levels can benefit from the excellent facilities and nutritious meals available at the camp. Those staying at Yaya are likely to meet Ethiopian runners of note, as well as famous runners from abroad.
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When I was booking last year, Mo Farah had just spent 3 months in residence there before competing in the London Marathon 2018. If it was good enough for Mo Farah, it would be good enough for me. So I booked in for a two night stay in the hope of learning all there is to learn about marathons!
YaYa Village is by all accounts a really nice hotel, with all the added athletics extras. I visited in July which is actually rainy season in that region of Ethiopia. It was considerably colder than Tanzania and on the two nights I stayed we had thunder, lightening and heavy rain which stopped the electricity for a about twenty minutes at a time.
Another hotel ammenity is the provision of a running buddy. You just tell reception what time you would like to go for a run and a running coach will meet you at reception to guide you. This is a free service. At 12 noon after a healthy buffet breakfast I met my running buddy at reception. After running with Mo Farah during his three month stay, I'm sure I was a bit of a challenge! However he was very patient, especially when the altitude hit me 30 minutes into the run. This "high altitude" training centre is 2,700m above sea level and I was told as I tried to catch my breath that usually athletes acclimatise for at least a week before attempting a short run!
Nonetheless it's all about the photo and I can officially say I trained in Haile Gebrselassie's training camp. After my run I had a massage, I skipped the gym work and took it easy!
Horse riding at Yaya Village, Ethiopia
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Facilities and Amenities
YaYa Village boasts an array of facilities designed to cater to the needs of athletes:
- Gym
- Athletics track
- Swimming pool
- Walkways
- Outdoor exercise and circuit areas
YaYa Athletics Village facilities
The Importance of Food
A major part of an athletes training is of course the food. Each meal had a large buffet full of fresh wholesome food. At night dinner was concluded with traditional coffee and snacks of popcorn.
Ethiopian Running Culture
One of the first things you realise is most Ethiopian runners want to live in Addis Ababa, but no one really wants to train there. His home was basic but perfectly adequate and the small town, Burayu, was populated with hundreds of runners. On they went, the group of about 40 whittling down with each lap as the pace cranked up. And so I stopped again, jogged around at a (much) more sedate pace, and watched as the group reduced to just three athletes entering the final 10 minutes. “No, no, never do that,” he said. In what other sport, I thought, could an average Joe rock up and train with the world’s best? And not only that, but receive nothing but handshakes and smiles and nice-to-meet-yous - this despite me breaking the cardinal rule and joining in again after taking a lap off.
We decamped to a local restaurant where Lebeta and his uncle ordered (what I think was) beef, a dish that came plonked in the middle of a giant piece of injera, the flatbread made from teff flour that is a staple of Ethiopian cuisine. It was delicious. I watched later as they joined two of their friends at a local green area and went through a warm-up of jogging, followed by various drills and then several 300m reps on a cross-country loop.
That, above all, left a lasting impression about Ethiopians, the most hospitable people I’ve come across. It’s what I and fellow journalist Weldon Johnson of Letsrun.com received a few days earlier when we tagged along with a group managed by Daan van den Berg of Global Sports Communication. We drove for about an hour out of the bustling city and when we arrived in Sendafa, the sun was slowly peeking over the horizon. Over the next two hours, we saw about 300 athletes out there churning on the roads, this being only one of three key areas that runners train in outside Addis Ababa. Thousands upon thousands, churning out 100 miles a week or more in places where there are no distractions, where nothing else seems to matter other than trying to keep up a little better today than you did yesterday. It’s a place where the attitude rubs off and leaves you all the better for experiencing it.
Most athletes based in Addis Ababa train in the surrounding Entoto forests at least a couple of times each week. Another hotspot for distance runners is Entoto, where many groups go hill training.
Lessons Learned
So what did I learn from my time (2 nights!) in the Ethiopian training camp?
- Drink Milk
- I'm not very fast
- Drink Milk
- No need for fancy stretches at the start of a run, just go
- Finally, drink lots of milk.
The milk advice came from my running buddy, my taxi driver and basically everyone dispensing advice in YaYa Village!
Ethiopia is beautiful beyond words, and full of surprises. The people are warm, funny and incredibly proud of their country. And for good reason. While their history may have had dark periods, their future is bright. I was apprehensive before I visited Ethiopia, but those apprehensions were quickly washed away as soon as I set foot on Ethiopian soil. I never felt unsafe, and found it easier to communicate than I expected. I cannot recommend it enough, and encourage anyone considering Ethiopia as a tourist destination to hesitate no more, and to plunge into the cradle of mankind.
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