International Competitions
International Developmental Half-Marathons
*Standards are generally 62-64 minutes for men, 70-73 minutes for women*
8 February; Verona Half-Marathon; Verona, Italy
1 March; Piacenza Half-Marathon; Piacenza, Italy
15 March; Bath Half-Marathon; Bath, UK
29 March; Reading Half-Marathon; Reading, UK
6 September; Great Scottish Run Half-Marathon; Glasgow, UK
21 September; Monza Half-Marathon; Monza, Italy
19 October; Cremona Half-Marathon; Cremona, Italy
26 November; Garda Trentino Half-Marathon; Trentino, Italy
International Developmental Marathons
*Standards are generally 2:16-2:22 for men, 2:38-2:45 for women*
3 May; Belfast Marathon; Belfast, Ireland
17 May; The Night Run Marathon; Luxembourg
31 May 2009; Edinburgh Marathon; Scotland
4 October; Loch Ness Marathon; Inverness, UK
November; Lake Kawaguchi Marathon, Japan
International Elite Marathons
*Standards are generally 2:10-2:14 for men, 2:27-2:34 for women*
1 March; Barcelona Marathon; Barcelona, Spain
22 March; Rome Marathon; Rome, Italy
5 April; Paris Marathon; France
26 April; Zurich Marathon; Zurich, Switzerland
29 November; Florence Marathon; Florence, Italy
December; Singapore International Marathon; Singapore
All of our athletes compete domestically. However, the best of them are at a point in where local competitions place limitations on their ability to progress. In particular, the following benefits are gained from competing internationally rather than domestically:
Certifiability
With the exception of the Great Ethiopian run, competitions in Ethiopia are not certified by AIMS or IAAF. Consequently, a great competitive performance in Ethiopia is difficult to compare against international standards, because there is no guarantee that the course was accurately measured and unassisted by wind or net downhill changes in elevation.
Visibility
Again with the exception of the GER, archived results of races in Ethiopia are not publicized online, on race websites, archived databases, or otherwise, with the same visability and accessibility as those of races in developed countries.
Altitude
The vast majority of races in Ethiopia are contested in Addis Ababa, at 2500m (8,000 ft) above sea level. It would be virtually impossible for anyone, let alone a young star trying to develop, to produce a time at such an altitude that could be compared with ones from international events, the vast majority of which are contested at sea level. Even races outside of Addis Ababa are at a minimum elevation of 1500m (5,000 ft).
Competition
Despite the amazingly strong competition that can be found in Ethiopia and Kenya, to become an international star an athlete must be able to travel and compete against athletes from all over the world. Therefore, we arrange for our most talented athletes to compete in overseas races.
Besides these concerns regarding athlete development, overseas events offer a great opportunity for cultural exchange between our athletes and people from the country that they are visiting.
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We take care not to over-race our athletes. We focus them on one or two strong marathon performances per year, with half-marathon, 10km and cross-country races providing adequate preparation in the intervening period between marathon races. We send athletes abroad to compete specifically for their development as runners. If an athlete does not meet our expectations in a particular race or a particular season, we re-adjust those expectations and schedule for the next year accordingly. While our aim is to develop athletes into world class competitors we recognize this will not happen in every case. For those individuals we will never deny them the chance to renew their contract with us, however, it may mean them working within other areas of our activities.
Our criteria for scheduling races is as follows:
- are already recognized as international-level races
- are contested at sea level
- offer cash prizes and/or travel assistance for elite athletes.
The races below will offer competitive recognition to East African athletes, produce the fastest race times possible and be self-financing in terms of the travel costs involved. We will be adding to this schedule however if you would like to be involved in the arrangement of one of our future racing trips, please notify us.
In agreement and cooperation with the Ethiopian Athletics Federation (EAF) and Athletics Kenya we arrange for East African runners to travel to Europe and compete in races.
