Sweat Elite in Ethiopia – Arriving in Sululta
After struggling through the cumbersome visa process at Addis Ababa international airport we exited to find Hadgu waiting. He greeted us warmly – “Selamno” which approximately translates to “hello, are you fine?” in English.
Navigating the chaotic streets of the city our driver took us northward. Sululta was our destination and Hadgu was our man, it became immediately clear that he was going to be an invaluable contact whilst we were on the ground in Ethiopia. Firstly, we didn’t even realise that the ‘Sululta’ where the many of the elite Ethiopian runners conduct their training is an area significantly closer to Addis than the town of Sululta as it appears on maps. This undoubtedly saved us a couple days of wondering around a random town trying to meet athletes and find areas for training.
Following a sumptuous brunch of beyeyinat (a variety of different vegetables and lentil mixes served on a large flat bread: injera), avocado and mango juice, and peanut tea (a must try!), we crossed over the range separating Addis from Sululta, and descended into the town. Hadgu had organised for us to stay in a hotel close to where Haile Gebrselassie and Kenenisa Bekele both have their own hotels. Upon dropping our gear he took us for a little bit of a local tour.
The main road from Addis to Bahir Dar in the Amhara region to the north runs straight through the middle of the small town. Trucks and busses compete for space with bajaj (tuk tuks) and donkey carts carrying loads of just about anything you can think of. Overcrowded public minibuses pass with families of goats tied to the roof. Just walking down the street there is so much to capture your attention.
As it is January – dry season here – dust coats the trees by the roadside. Surrounding the town are rolling hills covered by dry grass and eucalyptus. Hadgu takes us for a look around Haile’s place. After finishing his career as an athlete Gebrselassie has gone onto create a significant business empire here in Ethiopia, with a chain of hotels and resorts, car dealerships and many other enterprises. The resort is quite nice, with a crowd of Ethiopian kids using the pool and playground. No sign of any other faranji (foreign) runners yet.
A short stroll down the main road takes us to Kenenisa’s hotel. Well, it was founded by Kenenisa but he has now sold it, yet it still bears his name as one of its main drawcards. As we entered the main dining hall the managers were eating lunch (injera and shiro, a local staple) and insisted that we join. Despite still being full from our recent brunch it was almost impossible to refuse their sincere hospitality, we sat down and chatted with them, finishing the meal with coffee.
We returned to the hotel and spent a few hours relaxing whilst Hadgu went off to provide physical therapy to some of the elite athletes that form his clientele. When Mo Farah is in town he also sees Hadgu for massage and therapy.
After some time, I ventured out onto the road for a walk. Many people on the street were greeting and welcoming me, one that I started speaking to was Natnale, or ‘Nutty’, a sixteen-year-old who claims to have a sub 31-minute 10km PB. He lives in a small compound with four other athletes who are part of “Selam Athletics Club.” They are managed by an American, their food and board is covered, and they are able to focus their energy on training here in Sululta. Nutty grew up in Addis and his family still reside there.
He showed me his lodgings – a spartan arrangement similar to that of many of the ‘outsiders’ we trained with in Kaptagat, Kenya – a small room with a mattress on the ground, a poster of Jesus, a small cooktop and a pile of vegetables. His three meals of the day were all in a pot on the floor: potatoes, onion, tomato and spinach for breakfast, lunch and dinner. His invitation to join him on a run tomorrow morning was brusquely interrupted by screaming outside: we ran to investigate and were greeted with the sight of a truck carrying old tyres that had flipped on the main road, luckily the driver escaped with only minor injuries.
Amidst the chaos of the crowd around the truck Hadgu grabbed me. He had finished work and was back to come for a run and show us some of the surrounding area. We escaped the cacophony and got changed at the hotel. Our run started at an easy pace and we cruised through some eucalyptus forest to reach a large field where lots of the local athletes do speed work (mainly interval workouts). The plastic waste in some areas was really appalling, quite sad to see. As we ran Hadgu told me about his fascinating life story, which has spanned much of Ethiopia.
Dodging trucks and minibuses on the main road as we approached the hotel, we finished the 10km loop as the sun was setting. The dodging didn’t quite go so smoothly. I ran straight into a minibus door as the woman in front opened it to alight. A sore shoulder but nothing serious.
Hadgu joined us for dinner at the hotel and we tried some of the local honey wine, both in an alcoholic and non-alcoholic form. This was a really nice way to round off an extremely interesting introduction to Ethiopia and the town of Sululta, leaving us feeling very optimistic about the coming weeks here.
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