Saturday, January 15, 2011

Rolling into the coffee growing region

Saturday January 15th, 2011     DAY SEVEN
RAE Daily Update; posted by Bill Palladino, Executive Director of On The Ground

Day seven of the running portion of our expedition provided a welcome change of pace.  The past four days were purposefully heavy in miles (120 miles in four days), leading up to some lighter mileage towards the end of the run.  But there's an ominous justification for that, as this is where the hills begin.  Here's Nigel Willerton's post from Saturday.

"Our exertions during the previous five days where we ground out a 28-mile and then four consecutive 30-mile runs allowed the Run Across Ethiopia team a relatively easy seventh day on the road. We ran our shortest distance yet with a ‘mere’15-mile, 24 KM effort. It took us just over 3 hours to complete.   Spirits were very high after the luxury of both a lie-in and a full breakfast at our hotel at Lake Lagano which did not consist of hard-boiled eggs, PBJ sandwiches and, the crime of all crimes, black coffee with out sugar!! The pain of the last six days was almost forgotten.


The 15 miles almost took us to our lodging at Aragash. The RAE team’s cumulative mileage in a week is now 183 miles or 294 KM and that equates to exactly a marathon a day. As we close in on our destination of Afursa Waru, we are starting to see a marked increase in the poverty level of the local people in the villages we pass. It reinforces the teams understanding of the desparate needs in the communities and the positive impact we all hope and believe the Run Across Ethiopia can have.  The villagers themselves though remain as happy and as welcoming as ever in every community we pass shouting encouragement and the obvious question puzzling them

“Where you going?” they cry, “Jirge Chefe” we respond whereupon they look puzzled for a moment and then grin and shout “Very Good, Very Good!” It is great fun to just be a part of this great experience."  
The display of triathlete's shorts is Nigel's tip-of-the-hat to his Shama training buddies back in the states.


Our filmmakers, James & Jamaica, after a few days following the running team detoured back north to catch musicians Seth & May collaborating with some hip Ethiopian bands.  They made their way back south to catch up the team in Shashamene.  In the process they also met up with the family wave.  Here's a short post from Jamaica on her experience heading back south.

Only 2 hours out of the city and the atmosphere has drastically become calmer. There is always a hussle and bussle in Addis, cars and people weaving in and out of each other along with donkeys and marketers. Shoe shiners line the streets and poor sit next to businessmen while Muslims and Christians talk over milk with coffee. Always going.....

Now, Teff fills the air with every sift from the roadside homes. It's so fresh and open.
 (Editor's note:  Teff is a staple crop in much of Ethiopia.  Native to north Africa it is used similarly to wheat or barley. It is believed that the word is based on the Amharic word "teffa" meaning lost, as the seeds are very tiny and carry easily on the winds.)

The kids are ready to see their fathers, and so are their counterparts! Th kids are doing so well with acclimating and it is has been hard days filled with stimulating scenes. I'm so impressed by how well everyone can adjust to the different atmospheres of their surroundings.

After arriving in Awaso, monkeys greet us as the families reunite. I feel a sense of relief as the whole group is together again. I never realized how much I missed everyone, the humor, the smiles, the hugs. Never being in a large group dynamic, because I was the only child who didn't play sports, I'm so grateful to be embraced with this kind of love."


Our banker from Honor Bank in northern Michigan gave us  a very brief update from the runners.  From Norm Plumstead:

Norm
Day seven of
Run Across Ethiopia in the books! 183 miles down. Everyday we receive massive support from the Ethiopians we run past. And, everyday I'm reminded of the many privileges we enjoy in America. To learn more about you can help go to www.runacrossethiopia.org.


Jacob Wheeler, our journalist from the Glen Arbor Sun sent this to his blog:
With four consecutive 30-mile days in the rearview mirror, and the distance between Addis Ababa and Yirgachefe now 67 percent complete, the Run Across Ethiopia harriers took it relatively easy today. They slept in (until 7 a.m.) and enjoyed a restaurant sit-down breakfast, before legging 15 miles (24 kilometers) through hilly but beautiful, jungle-like terrain south of Hawassa. This journalist’s left knee felt recovered enough to join the team for seven miles. Tonight and tomorrow night we’ll stay in the gorgeous Agadash lodge, which overlooks miles of lush green foliage, and where we can literally feed wild hyenas (there’s so much food in this valley that the animals won’t hurt humans).
Best of all, the team is once again at full strength. Hans Voss’ ankle issues are seemingly a thing of the past; Mary Moore returned to the trail today after a half-day breather on Day 6; and Dena Piecuch, the police officer from Charleston, South Carolina, was back on the beat after a couple days of rest.
Here are videos from Day 7:




And I'll let Jeffrey Metzler from Charleston, S.C. take us out today.



Never thought I'd say this, but running 30 miles isn't too bad once you do it four times in a row! We're through 7 of the 12 running days for the Run Across Ethiopia and the team is still looking strong. This is some of the most beautiful country I've ever seen, and the people here are absolutely phenomenal. So proud to be a part of this project, and I can't believe my legs still work! Almost done!


 To read full-length stories posted by our RAE Team members please visit our blog pages at http://65.161.179.184/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://onthegroundglobal.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=e86f86882c25bcdcfe0bda552%26id=88bfddb547%26e=7b6f7ef5c1

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