RAB Athlete Urga Ararisa Negewo competes in 2009 Venice Marathon

Seven months ago Urga Ararisa Negewo ran his international athletics debut at the 2009 Rome Marathon, through which he learned: how to get a travel visa from an Italian Embassy, how to ride an airplane, how to change planes in a Middle East connection hub, and what it feels like to be in a race where the winner runs a record-breaking performance. In Rome Urga ran with group behind the lead pack, finishing in a very respectable 16th position in a time of 2:16:01, while up ahead Benjamin Kiptoo Koulum of Kenya set a course and Italian Soil Record running 2:07:17.

So when Urga faced similar circumstances on Sunday at the 2009 Venice Marathon, it probably felt like somewhat of a routine to him. The previous course record for Venice was 2:08:48, and early in the race two Kenyan pacemakers led the lead pack out at the pace of 3:02-3:03/kilometre required to break this record. 

But this time there was one big difference: Urga went out with the goal of contending for that record-breaking performance himself.















Perhaps the main thing taken away from the race by Urga was that although he has come a long way when he ran his first marathon in Addis Ababa in June 2008, he is  not quite prepared to fully contend on the glamorous stage of the top elites who made up the elite field of the Venice Marathon, an IAAF Silver-Label Road Race. 

Urga came away from the race disappointed but still optimistic, and hopes that this spring he can collect the all-elusive first foreign-currency paycheque that is the dream of him and so many other aspiring Ethiopian athletes.

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He joined a lead group of 11 runners who followed these pacemakers through 21km in 1:04:32, which left the course record well within reach. At this point runners started to drop off, but Urga remained strong and crossed 30km in the 7th position in 1:32:06, on pace to finish around the 2:09:00 mark and challenge for the course record and the victory.

Unfortunately in the end it was not to be, as Urga’s pace slowed drastically after the 30k mark from 3:04 kilometres to 3:29’s. He collapsed out of the race at 37km and was given some glucose solution in hospital, recovered and was released in stable condition, in time to board his flight back to Addis Ababa the next day.
Urga Negewo (Number 14)