Tirunesh Dibaba breaks 5,000 metre record

Tirunesh Dibaba had the pleasure of smashing her rival's world record. The improvement was a stunning 5.5 seconds. With Beijing just two months away, this is an amazing performance bodes well. She could double!

The 5,000 is Meseret's event. In fact, she was to attempt to break her own record this Sunday at the Prefontaine Classic but now the record belongs to her rival. Motivation should not be a issue this Sunday. It should be fun to watch.

Down Memory Lane

Election season being in full swing and being such a following (not a leader) , I visit blogs, one or two times a day to see if Clinton has found anything besides the kitchen sink to throw at Obama. So I was surprised to see a photo of Deratu Tulu and Elena Meyer on one of the leading blogs. This primary season has gone on too long so even the blogs are throwing in distractions. Politics all the time is boring I suppose. The blogger DHinMI of DailyKos, shared the 1992 Olympic moment as one of her all time favorite sports moments.

This took me down memory lane. I happened to miss that moment it on TV. I did not phantom that an Ethiopian woman would be running that night. It took me a month to find a recording of the event. I had tears running as I watched the finish on tape a month later. Tears still well up when I recall that moment , actually in my case the moment of tape viewing. It was a hard time. Ethiopia’s future was uncertain. It was the time when our new neighbors up north treated us as colony with the complicity of his Excellency. It was the time when his Excellency called the flag a piece of cloth and Ethiopia a phantom. We desperately wanted to believe Ethiopia existed and that Ethiopia would survive this assault. We sooooooo needed a win, it did not have to be in sports, any kind of win would do. We needed to see that our flag was real and meant something and that we were after all still a country.

As if destined, out of nowhere, a teenage heroine, totally oblivious to what she was doing fulfilled our desperate needs. Derartu give us a huge shot of confidence at the right time. What she did that night would turn her into legend.

So let me ask the same question. What are your greatest sports memories?

Out of hibernation

After a rough winter, I am coming out of hibernation. If you have lived in the Upper-Midwest you know already that the first warm days don’t really come till early April. This is the first time this year the weather has been such that one can go out for a long outdoor run on the weekend. You can be sure I will enjoy it.

While I was hibernating a lot has gone on over the winter. In March, saying that Beijing’s pollution was a huge problem, Haile who has asthma, said he would not compete in the Marathon. Haile did leave open the possibility that he would run in the 10,000. Dube Jillo, Ethiopian Athletics Federation Technical Director, a throwback to the old days and old ways of handling athletes retorted that "It is not up to Haile Gebrselassie to decide on participation in the marathon event in Beijing."

While I am not entirely pleased that Haile is not running in the Olympics I am not disappointed. While I don’t want to dismiss his health concerns, I suspect he thinks that he would perform poorly in hot conditions and is looking for a graceful exit. Can you imagine the build up and hype if Haile were to run in the premier Olympic event which is staged on closing night. Can you imagine the depth our disappointment if Haile were to drop out or fade. Would we end up thinking of him as a looser? The sorry images of 2004, a Haile in pain and fading, are still etched in the Ethiopian psyche. That event did not end up being painful because the pain of watching Haile fade was soothed by the joy of Kenenisa’s coronation. The King is dead. Long live the King! But if Haile fades in Beijing there is no King in waiting to crown. Entering his twilight years Haile does not have a lot of opportunity for glory to make up for disappointment in Beijing. If he fails we won’t forget easily.

While it looks disparate, I think Haile's filtering with the 10,000M may be due to his realization that this event is his only chance of getting a medal this time around. There is even talk that Kenenisa will run the 5000 clearing the way for Haile to lead the charge. I seriously doubt that will happen. Even if it did happen Haile is not a lock to win. Dr. Woldemeskel Kostre put the nails in the coffin when he said that "It's very tough for him because he can't compete with the younger men over the 10,000." I don’t expect Haile to run the 10,000. Haile, more than anyone knows if he is capable of meeting a challenge. Smart guys don’t go after things that don’t make sense. By pulling out of the Marathon, Haile, being a smart guy did what a smart guy would do. Exist gracefully.

Dube Jillo on the other hand damaged the Federation with his out of dated dictatorial way of management. Let’s say Dube has his way and forces Haile to run in Beijing, what is to stop Haile from dropping out after the first mile. Does Dube actually think this style of management would yield good results? Dube Jillo’s handing of this issue was a throw back to the communist era when the federation controlled everything, it was so outdated that he was embarrassingly repudiated by the International Olympic Committee which said which said the withdrawal was “fully justified” and that no one could force Gebrselassie to run. Amen!


But we do have a problem. Ethiopian athletes consistently complain about and underperform in hot weather. Last year, Mombassa was an embarrassment and later the World Championship was reminders that unless the Federation changes how it selects and trains athletes Ethiopia will perform poorly in Beijing. I am not optimistic there have been changes. This dispute between Dube and Haile shows you that the Federation has not caught on. Beijing is not Haile’s type of marathon. Haile is not a tactical runner. All his great runs have been in races that were speed runs. He tends to do better when he has no serious challengers. He has not run a hot weather marathon. A hot weather marathon is a different beast. So why would the federation want to run Haile, a cool weather runner, in the Olympics? It needs to update it's selection criteria. The federation simply can’t change the way it does things. This, my friends, is a problem that is all too common in Ethiopia.

Redemption Day!!

What a difference a year makes!

After the dismal performance in Mombasa one year ago, the Ethiopian team swept all four individual titles (feat last accomplished back in 1994!) and two out of the four team titles at the World Cross-Country Championships in Edinburgh, Scotland today.

The dominating performance displayed by the entire Ethiopian squad was punctuated by the record breaking sixth title of Kenenisa in the senior Men’s race. After losing his shoe on the first lap, and falling behind some 15 sec in the race as he stopped to put it back on, Kenenisa gradually worked his way back to the front and ultimately opened an insurmountable gap on his pursuers on the last lap.

The ease with which Kenenisa won the race disguises the furious pace forced by Zeresenay Tadesse of Eritrea and Komon of Kenya in an attempt to break Kenenisa early. Not only did Kenenisa withstand the assault, but he was able to pull ahead at will in the decisive final lap. Keneinsa’s performance was lauded by one of the race commentators as “the best running performance I have ever seen.”

Congratulations Team Ethiopia for one of the greatest days of Ethiopian athletic achievement!
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More:
Ethiopia romp home to their first ever sweep of all four individual golds – Edinburgh 2008

Bekele wins record-setting sixth world cross-country title, Dibaba wins women's race

Peerless Bekele crowns glorious day for Ethiopia

Bekele claims record sixth title

Meseret Defar: Top Female Athlete of 2007

Earlier today, Ethiopian great Meseret Defar was crowned as the female World Athlete of the Year for 2007 at the World Athletics Gala in Monte-Carlo. This is the first time an Ethiopian female athlete has been selected for this most prestigious award in athletics. In the past, Kenenisa Bekele has received the men's award on two occasions while Haile Gebrselassie received it one time.

Upon receiving the award, which carries a USD100,000 prize, Defar commented:

I don’t have words to describe how happy I am. This is very special for me. This is very special for Ethiopian women. Those who struggle very hard and who don't have very many opportunities to achieve the highest levels of athletics. So I dedicate this award to them.

At the same Gala Awards, Haile Gebrselassie, who was one of the three finalist for male World Athlete of the Year, was selected for the category of Inspirational Award... more

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Below is a summary of links to reports ROOCHA posted on Meseret Defar during 2007:

• Record in Stuttgart
• Speedy Mezzy
• Defar Breaks 5000M WR
• They Call Her Bold
• Osaka: Day Eight - Women's 5000M Final

Snubbed Again for Chiba?

What has the Ethiopian Athletics Federation done to upset the Japanese? This has been an unanswered question for a year now. There is a report that Ethiopia, for the second year in a row, has not been invited by the Japanese federation to compete at the prestigious Chiba Ekiden Relay. The question I posed at the bottom of my Nov. 27, 2006 post remians unanswered.

Tamrat Ayalew Wins Marine Marathon

Tamrat Ayalew, who has been a subject of an earlier post here on ROOCHA, won yesterday's Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C. Today's edition of the Washington Post ran a nice story on the marathon. They also have indexed video clips of the finish line where you can watch the winners as well as all the other finishers.

Although Marine Corps Marathon does not award any money to top finishers (thus its nick name The People's Marathon), it is great to see an Ethiopian take the win in Washington, D.C., adopted home of perhaps the largest concentration of Ethiopians outside of Ethiopia.

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Personal kudos to a local friend Mamo who completed the marathon in 3:47 with minimal training. Great job!

Any Resemblance?

David Letterman would say: "Abe, Haile. Haile, Abe."

Do you see any resemblance? The hairline, the half-shut eye, the ear, the headtilt, the mustache? Is Haile doing some of it in purpose?

Cheering Adere From The Back

By Roocha WeaDage

Once again this year, a hearty congratulations to Berhane Adere who won Chicago in 2:33:49, albeit right at the intersection of Marathon Ln. and Champion Dr.

At the crack of dawn, walking down to the starting corral in Grant Park, it was a breath of fresh air walking into a forest of runners who were stretching and getting ready for the race to start. Walking past the starting line, I imagined this is where one of our country heroes Adere will be starting off along with the other elite athletes. Isn't it great that only and only in running one is able to compete with the who's who of world class athletes!

Chicago '07 certainly was a marathon to remember from its record heat wave to the unprecedented finish as Adere reached deep into her track & field days to win Chicago back to back. For elite athletes and others alike, Chicago '07 perhaps will go down in history book as a disappointment. Couple days before the race, a Chicagoist article "Chicago Marathon 2007: This One's Gonna Hurt" wrote:

Don’t be a hero. These aren’t the conditions for a personal best; finishing in one piece is good enough.

For those who heeded this advise, it served well, and for others Chicago '07 was chalked as one of the most challenging marathon. To put it in perspective, instead of spectators congratulating finishers for finishing a marathon, the scene last Sunday was such that spectators were congratulating finishers for surviving the record heat wave.

However, beneath Chicago's heat wave and disappointing finishing time, there was a common thread that united hundreds of runners: the love of running under the name of charity, the unity to bring opportunity and miracles to others less fortunate. It's this combination that made this year's Chicago marathon an extraordinary marathon for many as hundreds were running for a great cause, mine being a A Running Start Foundation which is making a tangible impact to Ethiopia's future runners.

A Running Start Foundation is an organization that is dedicated to using the power of sport to improve the lives of underprivileged youngsters in Ethiopia and East Africa. One example is a project that is taking place in Ethiopia with the youth sports club in Bekoji that has produced world renowned athletes such as Kenenisa Bekele and Tirunesh Dibaba. Being part of this great cause through running was simply a priceless experience. This year's Chicago Marathon represented over 80 charities raising nearly $10M. Many thanks to those who supported these causes and a challenge for others to get involved.

These great charity programs involve common runners as well as elite athletes. In this spirit of charity, I had the pleasure of having a dinner with one of the elite athletes from neighboring Kenya who also combines the passion of running with a greater cause. Meeting Christopher Cheboiboch who finished 6th last weekend was an experience. Christopher is an athlete who displays a compassionate and genuine attitude towards others not only through his words but also through his actions. Although Sunday's running condition left more to be desired, it gave Christopher and myself an opportunity to talk about running and how it can make an impact on society at large. Christopher, like many others, is involved in developing a primary school named Salba Academy in his home country Kenya. Through his generosity, Christopher has used his earnings from New York City Marathon and Boston Marathon winnings to afford kids in his community an opportunity to learn and grow. Kudos to Christopher and wish him best in his endeavors.

For the rest of us, let's continue to make a difference. Yechalale! ... Translation from Amharic: "It’s possible". Together we can make a difference!

Long live ROOCHA!
------------------------------
Roocha Note: Thank you Roocha WeaDage for sharing your firsthand experience in Chicago and congratulations on surviving the heat and finishing the marathon.

Beijing Pollution Concerns

A couple of articles of interest.

Nice article in today's Washington Post titled "Gray Wall Dims Hopes of 'Green' Games"

Two weeks ago, two Ethiopian middle-distance running champions announced they would forgo some events because of the "disgusting weather and air pollution." New Zealand and American athletes say they will wear face masks if necessary. Even Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee, warned that some endurance sports might be postponed if the pollution gets too bad.

Also this article titled "A 'disgusting' Beijing Repels Olympic Athletes" quotes Kenenisa as saying that Beijing has “mixture of disgusting weather and air pollution" and that he will not try to double. Meseret Defar says that she will have to change her exercise regime and routines radically and will not attempt to double.

Happy Birthday!

After 135 posts over the past 12 months, ROOCHA, the blog, today turns one year old! It has been a remarkable year with lots of emotional ups and downs, victories and defeats, but it has been a lot of fun writing about our beloved sport of running from a personal, national, and international perspective. Looking forward to the next 12 months as we count down to Beijing. Your comments and suggestions are most welcome.

Berhane Adere: Talent and Guts

UPDATE: You can watch here the last few minutes of "one of the greatest race comebacks" turned in by Berhane Adere at the Chicago Marathon today.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

As if the men's photo finish was not dramatic enough for one marathon, Berhane Adere produced the most amazing sprint over the last half-mile to come from some 80 meters behind to win the Chicago Marathon right at the finish line. Berhane won last year's race in what I thought was as gutsy performance as one can ever expect to see, but she has outdone herself this year in what is sure to become a classic come-from-behind marathon victory story.

Berhane Adere- all talent and all guts! Looking forward to cheer for you in Beijing Olympics next year. Bravo! Bravo! Bravo!

Ivuti and Adere clinch Chicago Marathon
victories with dramatic sprints
Sunday 7 October 2007

Chicago, USA - The 30th running of the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon turned into a sprint as both the men's and women's winners won in dramatic, but very different ways... Defending women's champion Berhane Adere of Ethiopia made up 30 seconds in the last two kilometres, most of it down the 385 yard finishing straight to blow past a shocked Adriana Pirtea of Romania in the final 50 metres to win by three seconds in 2:33:49... Pirtea seemed to be on her way to a comfortable victory in her debut marathon, waving to the crowd and oblivious to the fact that Adere was sprinting at top speed down the homestretch. On her toes and in full flight, Adere, flashed past the celebrating Pirtea, passing several men in the process and missing the finish tape that had been stretched out for Pirtea. By the time the Romanian, who had attended the University of Texas, El Paso in the US, realized that Adere was anywhere near her, it was too late... more

Tight finishes highlight 2007 marathon, By Shannon Ryan,Tribune staff reporter

October 7, 2007, 11:09 AM CDT

...Ethiopian Berhane Adere recorded one of the greatest race comebacks, repeating as women's champion in 2:33:49. Adere fell behind by about 25 seconds late in the race but managed to sprint to the finish and overtake unsuspecting Romanian Adriana Pirtea. Pirtea learned a quick lesson in her marathon debut -- do not relax until it's over. She waved to the crowd in celebration of what she thought was a clear-cut victory after pulling ahead of Adere around the 22d mile. In a wise move, Adere ran to the outside of the course out of Pirtea's vision. Pirtea appeared unaware that she was being passed and was shocked to learn the news after finishing in 2:33:52... more

Wunetim Worku (Truly Gold)

By Haddis Tafari

When I recently discovered that Haile Gebrselassie would headline a half marathon race in New York City, I jumped at the chance and went to New York to watch the race. It was a rare opportunity to see Haile Gebrselassie in action and I did not want to miss it.

I was thrilled to see Haile, but I went home thinking about the other Ethiopian Athletes that were in the same race. I had often read race reports about Leteyesus Berhe, Kasahun Kabiso and Retta Feyissa. However, I was surprised to see that there are a growing number of over 20 Ethiopian athletes in the New York area.

Some are veteran athletes that are in their 30’s while others are youngsters that have made it to the US., through some form of Visa sponsorship and are attached to running clubs in the New York City area. As I made my way to the finish line to watch the end of the race I ran into a group of Ethiopians and Americans who talked about one of the local Ethiopian runners. They spoke passionately about Worku Beyi, a shy 20 year old guy who now runs for the Westchester running club.

As we waited for Haile to make his way down from the hotel for the award ceremony, we got to meet and talk to Worku. Worku had just finished 8th in the half marathon behind Haile in a personal best of 1:03.39. He talked about his race and the fact that he was not too happy with his shoes that day. He also joked about how Haile was impressed with his run. After the race Haile had quipped, “I am calling the federation to tell (report) to them the talent that is hiding here”.

Most of the Ethiopian runners that are in the New York area have gravitated to the Big Apple because of the New York Road Runners system that puts on multiple races a year. This allows the runners to earn a living while working small jobs. According to a recent New York Times article some of them work in nursing homes. Worku and Leteyesus work as pacers which involves taking some local runners on paced long runs in Central Park. Worku primarily survives on his race winnings which he uses to support himself and his family.

I was immediately scared to death when I heard how these runners are left to fend for themselves. Many of them live in the Bronx and room together in small apartments and their obligations likely exceed their means. What happens when they are injured? How can $500 and $1,000 dollar race checks cover rent, room and board? How do they communicate?

The most heartbreaking thing is that the thousands of Ethiopians that live in the NYC area are probably not aware off the plight of these athletes. There is no support system. From what I could tell the Ethiopian runners are supported by some coaches in the NYC area and some Americans who they have befriended. I felt a sense of shame that we (Ethiopians) are not helping each other because we are not aware of there plight. I felt so guilty that I made it a point to make sure I knew how to contact at least one of the runners … and how to provide whatever assistance I can afford.

As we headed to the Subway with Worku and his young Wife, we realized that we only had a $20 bill to purchase our subway ticket. Worku refused to let us use our credit card to purchase a subway card. He quickly scanned us through the turnstile and he paid for our trip.

I was fighting tears when I thought about this young man's generosity to random Ethiopians. If they can be generous to their countryman why shouldn’t we?

I vowed to myself that I will help Worku in anyway I can. I felt a need to return his generous favor 100 fold. I wanted to help make his dreams come true.

I urge the writers of this blog and others that may be reading this to help our local Ethiopian runners. Lets create a network to help them. It may be something as simple as providing them a place to stay as they race in your town. It may be paying their rent when they are injured. Whatever it is we should help these guys realize there dreams.

Here is a short list of Ethiopian runners in the east coast of the United States. I am sure there are more but this is what I am aware of:

* Worku Beyi
* Demesse Tefera
* Retta Feyissa
* Abiyot Endale
* Deressa Deniboba
* Genna Tufa
* Gurmessa Megerssa
* Alemtsehay Misganaw
* Leteyesus Berhe
* Atalelech Ketema
* Aziza Aliyu
* Tereza Yohannes
* Hareg Sidelil
* Maru Daba
* Bruk Debrwork
* Mohammed Awol
* Sentayehu Haile
* Tadele Worku
* Brehanu Adane
* Alena Reta
* Belyanesh Zemedkun (DC)
* Meskerem Legesse

Since I initially wrote this article Abiyot Endale and Worku called me before a race they ran in DC. I gave them a ride to and from their friends house and they finished 1st and 3rd respectively despite niggling injuries. Belaynesh and Atalelech Ketema finished 2nd and 3rd. We gave all the runners a ride back from the race. It was a pleasure to listen to them call the other runners who were running in VA, PA etc., to exchange news on how everyone did that day. It was a pleasure to do my part in helping my countrymen and women be as successful as they can be.

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Roocha Note: We thank Haddis Tafari for joining our growing list of contributors. Readers interested to learn more about these local runners can do so by listening to a segment broadcast by Voice of America's Amharic service this past Sunday Sep. 30. The broadcast will be archived here until Sunday Oct. 7. Forward to 23:25 mark to listen.

2:04:26 Predicted!!

I am not a golfer but every now and then I hear mention of someone hitting a “hole-in-one.” Apparently, at least one witness is required to confirm that someone’s claim of a hole-in-one is true. I read that the worst nightmare for a golfer is achieving the rare feat of hitting a hole-in-one, but with no witness around to corroborate the story.

So, what does a hole-in-one have to do with Roocha? Well, as I watched Haile Gebrselassie cross the finish line in Berlin yesterday, I had a very similar experience of someone who had just hit a hole-in-one but with no witness! On Friday evening, I had sent out an e-mail to a private google group reminding family members to watch Haile run the Berlin Marathon on WCSN’s live webcast on Sunday. I then wrote down my prediction for Haile’s finishing time.

Imagine my shock watching the finish line clock tick over the last 20 to 30 meters of the race as Haile rushed towards the tape. I can at least try to make my case with e-mails I pulled from the “Sent” folder…


-----Original Message-----
From: "xxxxxx"
Date: Sun, 30 Sep 2007 09:09:54
To:Xxxxxx@googlegroups.com
Subject: [Xxxxxxxxxx] Re: Watch Berlin Marathon on Sunday

Am I good or am I good? Haile breaks the record in 2:04:26!!!

Sent wirelessly via BlackBerry from T-Mobile.

-----Original Message-----
From: "xxxxxx"
Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2007 21:50:02
To:Xxxxxx@googlegroups.com
Subject: [Xxxxxxxxxx] Watch Berlin Marathon on Sunday

Haile Gebrselassie will be attempting to break the marathon world record in a highly anticipated race in Berlin and Gete Wami will also be defending her title. You can watch it LIVE at wcsn.com for US$4.95.

My prediction: Haile gets the record in a time of 2:04:26

Xxxxxx

Sent wirelessly via BlackBerry from T-Mobile.

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2:04:26

I think it is now beyond debate that Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia is the greatest distance runner of all time...

BERLIN (AFP) — Double Olympic champion Haile Gebrselassie broke the world marathon record with an unofficial time of 2hr 4min 26sec in winning the 34th Berlin Marathon on Sunday.

The 34-year-old Ethiopian, who won 10,000m gold at Atlanta in 1996 and at Sydney four years later, bettered Kenyan Paul Tergat's record of 2hr 4min and 55sec set in 2003 also in the German capital... more