21 October
RAB athlete Kasahun finishes 28th in Addis Ababa 12k
Approximately 550 participants toed the line this past weekend for the annual Addis Ababa 12k road race competition. Like most small races, the Addis 12k is locally organized, and tends to only attract competitors from within the country. In Ethiopia, however, these conditions do not rule out the possibility of an Olympic-level competition unfolding. Indeed, the race was won by Tsegaye Kebede, the Bronze Medalist from the 2008 Beijing Olympics Marathon just two months beforehand.
Running Across Borders was well-represented in the competition by 19-year-old Aschalew Kasahun. The young athlete crossed the line in a solid 28th place. Placing in the top 5% of a road race is a strong achievement anywhere in the world, let alone in Ethiopia where the local streets are filled with international caliber athletes! His time of 35m 54s, subject to verification as the course does not hold official IAAF certification, is an impressive result as it comes out to averaging under 3 minutes per kilometer; indeed most top-level 19-year-olds in Europe or North America would struggle to hold that pace for 10 kilometers on a track at sea level, let alone for 12 kilometers on hilly roads at altitude.
Kasahun is one of our most promising up-and-coming athletes. It is a fundamental aim of Running Across Borders to assist athletes like him, and help them make the transition from top-30 in domestic races within Ethiopia to the international ranks.
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