EXPANDING ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES TO EAST AFRICAN YOUTH THROUGH RUNNING
Running Across Borders
Last year 2008, I was working at the 23rd edition of the Venice Marathon as part of the medical team. During the event I met Malcolm Anderson and Garrett Ash both directors for Running Across Borders a non-profit organization that provides young female and male Ethiopian athletes structured training, education, a home to live and food in their high altitude training camp in Addis Ababa. (www.runningacrossborders.org)
I have always been fascinated by Ethiopia and my dream has always been to go there to meet and work with the strongest athletes in the world in long distance running. Malcolm and Garrett generously offered to help me, giving me the opportunity to go during 2009 to the Training Camp in Addis. I offered my services sharing my experience with the athletes in the camp and local students from Addis Ababa University. I made my travel arrangements to fly to Addis Ababa on the 19th September 2009 for one week.
Finally the 19 September arrived. I met RAB Head Coach Melaku Deresse, who took me to the training camp in Addis where I met the 14 athletes from the training camp plus students from the university. I brought a suitcase of trainers and another suitcase of sport wear for the athletes and everybody was very happy.
It was great to be there despite having never met the athletes before, but it certainly felt I had known them for a long time. Everybody was very friendly and very interested.
The day plan was:
•
Athletes wake up in the early morning around 6am and get ready for a training session and are back for 9am,
Athletes wake up in the early morning around 6am and get ready for a training session and are back for 9am,•I get ready for 9am and students arrive.
I get ready for 9am and students arrive.•I start to teach them, explaining the basics of the human body and preventing and dealing with injuries, following up with a long practical session between students and athletes. RAB Head Coach Melaku Biratu helped me and the English Teacher assisted me in case translation into Amharic was needed.
I start to teach them, explaining the basics of the human body and preventing and dealing with injuries, following up with a long practical session between students and athletes. RAB Head Coach Melaku Biratu helped me and the English Teacher assisted me in case translation into Amharic was needed.•Lunchtime at 1:00pm
Lunchtime at 1:00pm•After lunch an afternoon practical session between athletes.
After lunch an afternoon practical session between athletes.•Evening Sport massage clinic to meet elite athletes from the Ethiopian National Team for treatment and check up.
Evening Sport massage clinic to meet elite athletes from the Ethiopian National Team for treatment and check up.•Dinner at 8:00pm and bed time at 9:00pm
Dinner at 8:00pm and bed time at 9:00pmMy main objective for that week was to share all my knowledge and experiences with the athletes, trying to introduce sports massage to them and show them my knowledge and techniques. I was hoping everything I showed to them in that week could help them with recovery, preventing injury and improving their training and performance, in order to give them further hope for a better future.
On the last day of my trip I had the opportunity to go to Asella, a little village in a remote region of Ethiopia, to give a lecture to young athletes. Asella is the home town of Halie Gebrselassie, where he was brought up and trained to become one of the most important and famous runners in Ethiopian running history. I went there with Gudisa Tolossa, one of the youngest athletes on the Running Across Borders Training Camp Programme. He was my angel and bodyguard. We travelled for 4 hours each way from Addis Ababa to Asella by minibus trough the wonderful Ethiopian countryside.
In Asella I gave a speech to 200 athletes in the stadium introducing the basics and most beneficial aspects of sport massage. It was very emotional and great experience which I will remember for the rest of my life.
My week in Ethiopia was my first time in Africa; it is a different world but I really enjoyed the whole experience. To see with my own eyes what I have always seen on TV is a shock!! So much poverty but people who have big hearts and who are very helpful and happy to share with others the little that they own.
Thank you Running Across Borders!
Roberto Ciurleo
November 2009
