Tiki Gelana remembers watching the Olympics on television and being inspired by her Ethiopian countrywomen, years before she set an Olympic marathon record of 2:23:07 in London.
“I was really moved by the 10,000-meter race in Sydney where Derartu Tulu and Gete Wami ran,” she says. Like the two-time Olympic champion Tulu, Gelana hails from the vicinity of Bekoji in the Arsi area south of Addis Ababa, and it was in a hotel in the town that she joined others watching the 2000 Olympics. “I couldn’t even tell Derartu and Gete apart, and when they showed one of them on the screen, I kept asking, ‘OK, which one is she?'” adds Gelana. But before Tulu and Wami were done, with gold and silver medals in hand, Gelana knew running was what she wanted to do.
New York (TADIAS) – As the countdown to the 2012 Olympic Games in London gets underway, a remote town in the Arsi region of Ethiopia called Bekoji is receiving international attention as the world’s capital of long-distance running. During the Beijing Olympics four years ago, runners from Bekoji won all four gold medals in the long-distance track events. The highland Arsi region is home to many of Ethiopia’s Olympic Champions, including Haile Gebrselassie, Tirunesh Dibaba, Kenenisa Bekele and Derartu Tulu.
A new film co-produced by British-Ethiopian Dan Demissie and directed by notable filmmaker Jerry Rothwell introduces us to the town of Bekoji through the eyes of two teenage female athletes as they progress from school track to national competitions. The 86 minute documentary is also part of the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival, which is currently underway in New York.
In a recent interview with Tadias Magazine, the film’s award-wining director said the movie was inspired by Dan Demissie’s interest in the Ethiopian town and its legendary coach. “Dan came across the coach’s work in Bekoji when doing research and we knew that’s where we wanted to focus,” Rothwell said. “The coach used to be a school teacher, he has an incredible passion for what he does and all the athletes trust him.”
The story centres on Mr. Sentayehu Eshetu, a former elementary school Physical Education instructor, who discovered and trained several of the country’s top runners, most significantly Derartu Tulu, the first African woman to win a gold medal at the Olympic Games. Narrated by their friend Biruk who runs a kiosk on the main road into town, the documentary follows two girls, Alemi and Hawii, over a three-year period from 2008 to 2011, as they strive to become professional runners. Through their struggle, the film gives a unique insight into the ambitions of young Ethiopians balancing their lives between the traditional and modern world.
Demissie proposed the idea of Town of Runners to Met Film Production back in 2008, while still a student at Met Film School. During his three years there he worked on the Bekoji project while fulfilling graduation requirements, and has now started graduate studies at the National Film and Television School in the U.K.
Demissie said working on the movie was personally rewarding for him. “It was my first time going to Ethiopia and I got to know the place where I was from,” Demissie told Tadias. “It sounds kind of cheesy, but it’s true I fell in love with Ethiopia.” He said: “It was the best experience of my life.”
Dan Demissie (left) and Jerry Rothwell. (Photo credit: Townofrunners.com)
The coach Mr. Sentayehu Eshetu. (Photo credit: Townofrunners.com)
“I always saw how Ethiopia was portrayed in the media,” Demissie continued. “It’s always famine and war and all of these kinds of negative stereotypes that wasn’t a fair representation.” He added: “I wanted to make a film that countered that image, give it more of a balance. It was my dream to make a film about Ethiopia. I read about this small town and I thought that it was a good story. It’s about people creating their own destiny. That’s what attracted to me it. Later on I found out that I had distant relatives in the region.”
For Rothwell, neither Africa nor running is new. “I’d spent 5 years of my childhood in Kenya and my hero at that age was Kip Keino [the retired Kenyan track and field athlete and two-time Olympic gold medalist] and then much later my daughter had taken up the sport seriously and so I was spending a lot of time by athletics tracks in the U.K.,” Rothwell said. “And Ethiopia is just such a beautiful place to shoot, it is such a rich country.”
“It was almost a coming-of-age film,” Rothwell added. “It was wonderful to see a teenager grow from being 14 years old grow to 17, and to have shared so much time with them.”
But Demissie pointed out that language was a problem for the mostly European film crew. “Back in England, I listened to my parents speak Amharic at home and I would respond in English. In Ethiopia, however, we were in a place where they talked Oromiffa and Amharic, so that was pretty challenging at times,” he said.
Rothwell quipped: “It was great to see Dan getting better at his Amharic.”
“Sometimes there is just so much bureaucracy,” Demissie added, speaking about other challenges of making a film in Ethiopia. Rothwell agreed: “Because there is control of the media, it was difficult at times to get permission to shoot.”
And where are Alemi and Hawii today? “Hawii is on her way back to the running club and she is building herself up there after her injuries,” Demissie said. “Alemi left her running club, but we are not so sure why. It just recently happened.” Rothwell shared: “When we first started to ask the coach about runners, we were interested in how achievement would affect the subjects. It wasn’t about who were the best runners. We followed the coach to one of his competitions and we saw how strong their friendship was.”
The Town Of Runners soundtrack features legendary band leader and father of Ethio Jazz, Mulatu Astatke, and additional recordings from Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guébrou, as well as a score by the British composer Vincent Watts.
“It’s a great score and the pre-recorded music is amazing,” Demissie said. “I want to thank the project manager Samuel Tesfaye who was key on the ground. We couldn’t have done it without him.”
— Town of Runners will screen at Tribeca Online Film Festival on Thursday, April 19, at 6:45 PM.
Above:Haile Gebrselassie (L) and Derartu Tulu will represent
Ethiopia at New York City Marathon on Sunday November 7th.
Tadias Magazine
Events News
Updated: Saturday, November 6, 2010
Special Note:
Ethiopian fans plan to gather at Columbus Circle, which has bleachers set up for spectators and a special stage sponsored by Continental Airlines to provide inspiration for the final .2 miles.
You can take the 1, D, or A train to 59th (8th avenue).
Haile and Derartu Expected to Take Charge at NYC Marathon
Published: Tuesday, November 2, 2010
New York (Tadias) – Long-distance running legends Haile Gebrselassie and Derartu Tulu are widely expected to lead the charge in their respective categories at Sunday’s New York City Marathon.
Gebrselassie, who has more than 130 major-race victories under his belt and is the current world record-holder, will run the New York City Marathon for the first time. Although questions have been raised about the possibility that the double Olympic 10,000-meter gold medalist may not be able to conquer the difficult New York City Marathon route in world record time, his agent says he remains motivated and optimistic. “We have to be realistic; we know there are not that many opportunities left,” Jos Hermens of the Netherlands told The New York Times. “But in his mind, he is so competitive, he feels he can run half a minute or a minute faster in ideal conditions and in good health.” Gebrselassie will be joined by fellow Ethiopian Gebre Gebremariam and the professional men’s defending champion Meb Keflezighi of the United States, among others.
In the pro women’s field, two-time Olympic 10,000m champion Derartu Tulu, the first Ethiopian woman to win the New York City Marathon, will defend her title while leading a pack of other women from her country. Other participating Ethiopian female athletes include the 2010 Boston Marathon champion Teyba Erkesso, Werknesh Kidane, and Bronx resident Buzunesh Deba. Derartu also faces tough competition from American Shalane Flanagan, the 2008 Beijing Olympic bronze medalist, and Mary Keitany of Kenya, the 2009 World Half Marathon champion – both making their marathon debut – as well as from experienced marathoners like Ludmila Petrova and Inga Abitova of Russia.
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2010 Abebe Bikila Award Goes To Paul Tergat of Kenya
Meanwhile, one of Haile Gebrselassie’s professional rivals, Paul Tergat of Kenya – considered to be one of the most accomplished long-distance runners of all time – will receive the 2010 Abebe Bikila award for his contributions to distance running. Tergat, who retired in 2009, will be honored at a ceremony preceding the Continental Airlines International Friendship Run on Saturday, November 6, also here in New York City.
The New York Times highlights the long and friendly competition between the Kenyan and Ethiopian athletes: “Their rivalry has been one of the richest in running history and symbolizes the development of distance running by Ethiopia (Gebrselassie) and Kenya (Tergat). Over the course of a decade, Gebrselassie, 37, and Tergat, 41, ruled the distance running world,” NYT notes. “From 1996 to 2000 Gebrselassie won titles in the 10,000 meters at the world championship and Olympic Games. Tergat finished second each time. Gebrselassie set the 10,000 world record (26 minutes 43.53 seconds) in 1995 until Tergat broke the record (26:27.85) in 1997. Gebrselassie reclaimed the record (26:22.75) in 1998, now held by Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele (26:17.53).”
The annual prize , named after Ethiopian legend and double Olympic marathon winner Abebe Bikila, has been awarded to athletes since 1978, and it honors individuals who have made a significant contribution to the sport of long-distance running. Per Wiki: “Past winners of the award include: Olympic gold medallists Frank Shorter, Rosa Mota and Lasse Virén; world record breakers Paula Radcliffe, Khalid Khannouchi and Paul Tergat; and multiple major marathon winners Grete Waitz, Alberto Salazar and Joan Samuelson. While the award has typically been associated with elite level runners, particularly marathon runners, it has also been given to non-athletes. Fred Lebow – creator of the New York Marathon – became the first person to win the award who was not a professional athlete in 1995. The 2001 award was given to Mayor of New York Rudy Guiliani on the basis of his dedication to the city in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. The 2009 winner, long-time road running organizer and event director Allan Steinfeld, was the third non-professional athlete to receive the award.”
If You Go:
New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 7 Daylight savings time ends at 2:00 a.m. on Sun.,
Don’t forget to set your clocks.
Ethiopian fans plan to gather at Columbus Circle, which has bleachers set up for spectators and a special stage sponsored by Continental Airlines to provide inspiration for the final .2 miles.
You can take the 1, D, or A train to 59th (8th avenue).
Above:Derartu Tulu, winner of the 2009 New York City
Marathon, rings the NYSE Closing Bell on Nov 2.
Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff
Published: Wednesday, November 4, 2009
New York (Tadias) – Derartu Tulu, winner of the 2009 New York City Marathon, became the third Ethiopian in three years to ring the closing bell on the floor of a U.S. stock exchange on Monday.
President Girma Wolde-Giorgis rung NYSE’s opening bell on March 2, 2007, and Ethiopia-born Ted Alemayhu – Founder & CEO of U.S. Doctors for Africa – became the first Ethiopian to ring the closing bell of NASDAQ on Thursday, March 23, 2006.
37-year-old Tulu was joined at Monday’s ceremony by Mary Wittenberg, President and CEO of the New York Road Runners and Edith Hunkeler of Switzerland, women’s wheelchair winner.
Meanwhile, Meb Keflezighi made an appearance on David Letterman where he presented “The Top Ten List.” Check out the videos below.
Above:Derartu Tulu of Ethiopia and Eritrea-born Mebrahtom
`Meb` Keflezighi of the U.S., have won the 2009 New York
City Marathon. Click here for video.
The New York Times
By LIZ ROBBINS
Published: November 1, 2009
Derartu Tulu has raced to history throughout her career, and on a cool, cloudy day of surprises for the New York City Marathon, the 37-year-old runner charged to a remarkable new milestone. She became the first Ethiopian woman to capture New York’s laurel crown in its 40-year history, 17 years after becoming the first black African woman to win a gold medal in the Olympics in the 10,000 meters. Read more.
New York City Marathon winners Derartu Tulu, of Ethiopia, left, and Meb Keflezighi,
pose for photos on the 86th floor observatory of the Empire State Building, Monday,
Nov. 2, 2009, in New York. (AP Photo/Henny Ray Abrams)
About Derartu Tulu
Ethiopia
Age: 37
One of history’s all-time great distance runners, Tulu has excelled in track, road racing, and cross country. She is a two-time Olympic gold medalist at 10,000 meters (1992 and 2000), and she won the 2000 IAAF World Cross Country Championship. She finished fifth in her debut marathon (Boston, 1997) and set her personal record of 2:23:30 when she finished fourth at the 2005 IAAF World Championships Marathon in Helsinki. Tulu is making a comeback; she finished fourth in 1:10:33 at the ING Philadelphia Distance Run half-marathon this September. (Source: ING New York City Marathon).
Video: 1992-Barcelona Derartu wins Gold
Related: Keflezighi’s ‘U.S.A.’ Breaks the Tape The New York Times
A child immigrant from war-torn Eritrea, and one of 11 siblings in a village with no electricity, Keflezighi traveled an arduous journey to the finish line here and carried decades of American hopes with him. Read more.
