GREAT ETHIOPIAN RUN 10km on 23 NOVEMBER 2014

Azmeraw Bekele made it two wins out of two with his victory, repeating his success of 2010. Wude Ayalew went one better, becoming the first three-time winner in the event.

Her previous victories came in 2008 and 2009. Times were among the slowest in the race's 14-year history but the current course includes three tough climbs in the second half of the race, held at an altitude of 2600m. As last year, the non-availability of the traditional race venue in Meskel Square meant that the race finished almost on top of a hill at the Jan Meda racecourse.

As many as 23 men stayed together well beyond halfway (reached in 14:13) before starting to break up on the first hill in the seventh kilometre. Passing 7km in 20:22, Bekele looked comfortable at the front of the group. 8km was reached in 23:33 as the steepest hill on the course loomed. Bekele opened a 15m lead on Adugna Takele (second last year) and Azmeraw Mengistu. Approaching 9km Mengistu came past Takele and momentarily took the lead on entering Jan Meda for the final 600m off-road section. But Bekele re-took the lead with 400m to go.

The first move in the women's race came just after 6km when defending champion Netsanet Gudeta, Ayalew and Gebeyanesh Ayele started to break clear. Ayele dropped back at 7km leaving Ayalew to fight it out with Gudeta on the final hill from 8km back up to the finish. Ayalew made a decisive move 1500m out and maintained her six-second advantage to the finish. Ayalew's first win in 2008 was a breakthrough leading on to national team selection for the Beijing Olympics and a bronze medal at 10,000m at the 2009 world championships.

Further back, Olympic triathlon champion Alastair Brownlee (GBR) finished in about 40 minutes. Behind the elite competition around 35,000 participants took part in the race which had been jointly started by four of Ethiopia's Olympic champions (Haile Gebrselassie, Derartu Tulu, Kenenisa Bekele and Meseret Defar) together with Kenya's world marathon champion Edna Kiplagat.

Kiplagat was impressed with what she saw:

"I like the way everyone is having fun. Many are walking, some are jogging, but they are all enjoying it. We need something like this in Kenya"

MEN:
1  Azmeraw BEKELE                 ETH  31:12
2  Azmeraw MENGISTU            ETH  30:14
3  Adugna TAKELE                    ETH  30:18
4  Fekadu GIRMA                      ETH  30:24
5  Selfe TURA                            ETH  30:32
6  Bonser DIDA                         ETH  30:32
7  Muhajir HAIREDIN                  ETH  30:36
8  Berhanu DELALA                    ETH  30:37
9  Gemechu EDEO                     ETH  30:38
10 Abdi FUFA                            ETH  30:39

WOMEN:
1  Wude AYALEW                      ETH  34:04
2  Netsanet GUDETA                 ETH  34:10
3  Gebeyanesh AYELE               ETH  34:18
4  Alemitu HAROYE                   ETH  34:25
5  Dinkinesh MEKASHA              ETH  34:48
6  Fasika METAFARIA                ETH  34:57
7  Shashu ANERSEMU                ETH  35:01
8  Ruti AGA                               ETH  35:12
9  Abebu GELAN                       ETH  35:27
10 Sutomia ASSEFA                 ETH  35:30

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