Sugar Daddy Blog from Ethiopia

Saturday, January 15   DAY SEVEN

Posted by Nigel Willerton

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 without 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 team's 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.

However, the run certainly still has its challenges for us as runners. Despite our strong efforts eating into the schedule and reducing the final distance left, the balance of the run will be extremely hilly. We actually started today with a near 2-mile or 3KM ascent. We also still have to work on our teamwork even more strongly ensuring we give each other full support. It can be great fun running with a significant crowd of locals, young and old, many of whom join us often for one, two or even three miles but that sometimes makes it tough to all stay together. It does of course also make the experience complete as you see the joy on the faces of those who just want to be part of the fun that is RAE.

Finally, I will finish by confirming the team's arrival at the fabulous Aragosh Lodge in the Ethiopian Highlands. This is a sprawling hotel where we are staying in bungalows with 4-5 people sharing a three-room open space. I am staying with Norman, Abera, Ichigu and Jacob.  The lodge has its own coffee plantation and the area is awash with wildlife including monkeys and hyenas. It’s certainly luxurious in comparison to some of our prior accommodations but I have to admit that best of all, it is run by a German family so everything like lights and showers actually work!

I would conclude that, sadly for myself, we are nearing the end of our epic run but I have hope in my heart that the bigger and more important journey in delivering education for hundreds if not thousands of deserving Ethiopian children is just beginning.