TotalEnergies Great Ethiopian Run

TotalEnergies Great Ethiopian Run

Despite being postponed last year, the 2021 TotalEnergies Great Ethiopian Run is coming back on Sunday, 23rd of January.

The General Manager of Great Ethiopian Run, Dagmawit Amare, expressed her delight: “It feels right – as well as a great honor - for us to be staging our annual 10km race to coincide with the homecoming of many Ethiopians. This race has always been a celebration of us coming together as a nation, and there is no better time for us to do this than now.”

Dr. Setor Norgbe, winner of Ghana's beauty pageant and a strong advocate for African unity, has confirmed that she will participate in the 2021 TotalEnergies Great Ethiopian Run International 10km. She will also appear at the pre-race press conference, which will take place at the Hyatt Regency Hotel on Friday, 21st of January. For the past two weeks Dr. Setor, who is also a medical doctor, has been touring Ethiopia and enjoying a wide range of Ethiopian hospitality. She had been due to leave Ethiopia before the race but changed her plans after hearing about Africa’s biggest road race and the opportunity to meet Haile Gebrselassie.

The men’s and women’s elite races will be led out by electric cars supplied by Green Technology Ethiopia, one of the new importers of electric cars into Ethiopia. This is part of the ‘Go Green’ initiative undertaken by Great Ethiopian Run at its races throughout 2022 following its commitment to raise awareness about environmental issues.

“Poo to the Loo” is another such campaign being promoted by race sponsor UNICEF. Speaking about the problem of poor hygiene practices in Ethiopia, Gianfranco Rotigliano, UNICEF Representative in Ethiopia, said: “approximately 22 million people, equivalent to roughly 1 in 5 of the estimated 110 million population, practice open defecation in Ethiopia, with devastating consequences on public health especially for children.” Through this campaign UNICEF is calling on everyone to become agents of
change to end open defecation so that children can live healthier lives, noting that diarrhea is a major cause of deaths among children under five in Ethiopia.

Great Ethiopian Run has also partnered with UNICEF and other race sponsors including TotalEnergies, Sofi Malt, Hyatt Regency and Arki Water to arrange a street cleaning programme which will take place on the eve of the race in three locations along the course route. The cleaning will be done by environmental partner PETCO with assistance from representatives from all the sponsors.

“Our profile as one of the biggest events in Ethiopia also comes with responsibilities,” explained Marketing Director Hilina Negussie. “We hope that our practices and our example will inspire others to follow our lead.”