ADDIS ABABA (Semonegna)–The UN 2018 Women First 5km annual women-only race has tripled participants’ number as it has celebrated its 15th anniversary with 12,000 participants on March 11, 2018 in Addis Ababa. The event which was started to celebrated success of Ethiopian women and mark International Women’s Day (March 8) has become a platform to voice massages focusing on Women. The race slogan for this year was ‘Violence free life: it’s my right!’.
One of 17 sustainable development Goals (SDGs) focus on Gender Equality and UN is working with Great Ethiopian Run on the Women’s Run to address this.
The event also had an elite field where some of the best young female athletes took part to win the 15,000 Ethiopian birr prize. During the event, for the first time, two young Ugandan athletes joined the race. In addition, diplomats and representatives from 15 countries also took part, including along the ambassadors of Denmark and Ireland in Ethiopia.
Jamaican singer and women’s rights activist Joy Mack has presented herself on the event and sand her songs to participants.
The 35 minute challenge, which was started last year, was continued this year as well and participants who finish the race in under 35 minutes were awarded, in addition to the race medal, a certificate signed by the Olympic Medalist Athlete Meseret Defar who is the United Nations Goodwill Population Fund Ambassador for Ethiopia (UNFPA). Tsehaye Gemechu (individual competitor), who ran wearing number 85, won the race 16:05:52. Debash Killal (#32) of Sur Construction Plc. and Yenenesh Tilahun (#71, individual competitor) finished second and theird, respectively, with respective times of 16:09:16 and 16:09:48.
Among the ‘Icon Women’ Women First 5km Participants, Artist Amleset Muchie (#220), wife of Singer Teddy Afro, Selam Zeray (#228), the head coach of the Ethiopia Women’s National Football Team, and Singer Hewan Gebrewold (#226), member of Jano Band, were able to finish on the top spots among their competitors. Their respective finishing times were, 25:24.8, 37:00.0 and 37:16.7.■ (Great Ethiopian Run)