Introduction + Preparations

It is hard to describe how my family and I, seasoned travelers with many exotic and not so exotic trips under our belt, have chosen Ethiopia as our next vacation destination. It was a bit by happenstance and a lot by design to have a more meaningful and less touristy vacation experience. It started with an ad that caught my eye in one of the running magazines for a camp for US high school runners in Kenya. I was intrigued by an opportunity to train in high altitude conditions with African runners and to volunteer by tutoring English or helping out at an orphanage.

Ultimately, after some sleuthing around on the Internet, I found Running Across Borders (http://runningacrossborders.org/), an organization whose mission is to provide opportunities for East Africans in running, education and employment and to help Ethiopian runners advance to the elite level, where they will hopefully gain a sponsorship and with that, a steady income. Running Across Borders (RAB) is located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, at an elevation of almost 8,000 feet. It also provides its facilities for western runners like me who can train in high altitude conditions under the tutelage of Melaku Deresse Biratu, who coaches Ethiopia’s national long distance team. I am very excited about the prospect of living and training with future the Kenenisa Bekeles and Haile Gebrselassies.

With less than three weeks until my departure for Ethiopia, there are a lot of preparations under way. I wanted to bring something for my new running friends, who, like any runners, are probably in need of reliable running gear and who, I imagine, have very limited resources. I contacted two local running stores, Jacksonville Running Company and 1^st Place Sports, asking them if they would be so kind to donate any gently used shoes and or apparel. Initially, I was a bit skeptical as to how much gear I would be receiving. To my surprise, both stores bestowed very generous quantities of shoes and clothes, which I am sure the Ethiopian runners will enjoy very much.

Besides my quest for running gear donations, I have been busy training 60 miles per week in preparation for the challenging high altitude training conditions in Ethiopia and, in the near term, for a nine-day cross country retreat to Indiana where my high school cross country team and I will train with our coach and visit his family farm. After the Midwest trip, I will only have one week in Florida before I’m off to Connecticut and, from there, to Ethiopia. Stay tuned!