10th edition of Women First 5km run set for March 10

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – Great Ethiopian Run launched the 2013 Choice Women First 5km run on February 8, 2013 at the Radisson Blu Hotel.  Registration for the run that would be held on March 10 starts tomorrow Monday February 11, 2013.

With a motto “Empower Women to Make a Difference”, this year’s Women First run is due to involve 10,000 runners, according to the organizers.
Besides bringing new and young athletes to the athletics scene, the race has been a medium for women to address different issues including, among others, mainly on family planning as Great Ethiopian Run is working with DKT-Ethiopia since the inception of the event. “Many of the race winners have gone on to higher things,” says Ermias Ayele Director of GER mentioning Aselefech Mergia, winner of the 2012 Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon who earned USD 250,000, and Tiki Gelana, who was the London Olympic Marathon gold medalist after five months of winning the 9th edition of Women First last year.

So far, the race has involved a total of 60,000 girls and women aged between 5 and 75 since the first edition of the event in May 2004.  “This event gives us the opportunity – at least once a year – to show how far we have come since those days when women truly did just stay at home,” the organizers said.

Mulu Solomon, President of the Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Associations, who was one of the honorary guests together with Chachi Tadesse, a famous musician, Meseret Defar and Gete Wami, said that women and girls should know their greatness and defy obstacles to grow higher, rather than expecting from others.

Registration for the 2013 Choice Women First 5km edition will take place at the Great Run office, for organizations that want their employees to participate, and at Edna Mall, Wabi Shebelle Hotel, CBE (Nefas Silk branch), Bethelhem Plaza (Megenagna) and Trianon Café (Piazza) for individual participants.

Source: capitalethiopia.com