Sweat Elite Guide To Training in Ethiopia
The team here at Sweat Elite just spent the most unforgettable month training in Ethiopia, learning the ways of some of the world’s top athletes. Not only was the experience a great way to build fitness and be exposed to the training of these athletes, but it was also such a unique exposure to the culture in Ethiopia: a unique blend of ancient history, and burgeoning development, with assuredly some of the most hospitable people in the world.
Due to high demand, and lots of questions coming from the community, we have decided to put together a little bit of a how-to guide for training in Ethiopia.
Specifically, this article is aimed at people looking to train in Addis Ababa or Sululta, one of the more accessible training bases for the top athletes.
Reaching Sululta
Addis Ababa has become an African travel hub and can be reached easily from most large European and Asian hubs. Many of the top athletes who have a larger income choose to live in Addis Ababa and drive out to the training areas in their cars each day, however many still live in and around Sululta. Situated at 2800m Sululta is easily reached by taxi (or local mini busses although these are more difficult to coordinate, and taxis shouldn’t exceed US$20). The journey over the range from Addis International airport takes roughly forty minutes, the road is not in amazing condition and the drivers can be quite aggressive so prepare for a little adrenaline.
Accommodation
Sululta is a small town, however due to athletes coming from around the world to train here there have been a couple hotels established. The three main options are:
- Yaya Africa Athletics Village, a resort owned by Ethiopian running great Haile Gebrselassie. This resort is very nice with spacious rooms, a beautiful garden, pool, gym, spa/sauna. The restaurant is much more expensive than the local restaurants in town but has a selection of western options as well as local cuisine.
- Kenenisa Hotel, set up by Bekele (but apparently no longer owned by him), this hotel was quite empty when we visited, and we heard poor reviews from people we met who were staying there. However, the staff were very friendly when we went in. Basic rooms and local cuisine available in the restaurant.
- Hunde Resort, we stayed for two weeks in Hunde and had a good experience. Friendly staff, good food (mainly only local options), simple rooms with comfortable; beds. Quite a bit cheaper than Yaya.
Training
The options for training around Sululta and Addis are plentiful. The altitude makes a lot of the routes quite tough, it’s hard to keep heart rate and breathing under control on the hills during easy runs. We covered some of the training areas/routes quite comprehensively in our blog posts during our stay, but here is a brief summary of some of the options.
- Satellites: a large field on the edge of town, named for a huge set of satellites off to one side. The ground here is a bit rough, and there is lots of plastic heaped in certain areas. Lots of athletes train here for their interval workouts, and longer runs can be done by circling the perimeter of the field.
- Kenenisa track: Bekele has also built a tartan track in Sululta, which is in surprisingly good condition. We were able to witness some very impressive workouts by groups here. There is also a nice loop around the outside of the facility. Foreigners are charged 300 birr (~US$10) to train here.
- Forest runs: Sululta is surrounded by hills covered by eucalypt forests. A lot of athletes do their easy runs here, dodging between trees. Very good for low impact running. However, it’s easy to get lost here so we recommend running with some locals: there are also hyenas in the forests!
- Valley: There is a large valley down below satellites which is very open, beautiful grass to run on. Very picturesque. The run out of the valley is tough though, with a 1.5km hill to get back up to Sululta.
- Entoto: An area at the top of one of the mountains around Addis where lots of groups go for hill training. Reachable by taxi.
Local groups
One of the best parts about training in Sululta was being able to run with so many groups filled with incredible athletes. We had so much exposure to the different training styles of the groups, and got to speak with a lot of top coaches about their training philosophies. The groups were generally exceptionally welcoming, inviting us to join in on many of their workouts throughout our stay. Meeting the local athletes to train with is merely a matter of putting yourself out there and approaching them (assuming they don’t call you over for a chat first), they are all very friendly.
Other training hubs
Looking to branch out from Sululta and experience a bit more of the country? There are plenty of other areas in Ethiopia where lots of athletes are based, such as Asela and Bekoji in the south (where the Dibabas, Bekele and Gebrselassie all come from), as well as many options in the Amhara and Tigray regions to the north.
