Race Report: Abebe Bikila Day Half Marathon

Photo (left) is a very close-up view of my finisher medal; these nifty medals were designed by Karla McDuffie and were given to all finishers.

This race was a blast! If you did not run it this year, I'd say you want to plan to run it next year. What did I enjoy so much about the race? Here's the full race report:

1. It was inspiring. The race started off on a positive note, with the beautiful pan-African anthem sung byAnna Mwalagho. She also read her inspiring, lyrical poem, "I Have a Dream," after the race. (She brought some of her CDs for the runners and I was happy to get one.) Also, I was really happy to see a two-time Olympic boxer was an organizer and supporter of the race. It was an honor to meet the Olympian Seifu Makonnen and to pester him for his autograph (which he graciously provided).


2. I like this course. This is not the easiest half marathon course in the DC metro area. Yet, the course is one familiar to, and enjoyed by, many local runners. Sure, it has a couple hills, but it also has shade and occasional breezes off the river, and it is very, very pretty. I, for one, love running across the wooden bridges along the Mount Vernon trail. For the out of towners, you'll get to enjoy Potomac River views usually reserved for us local runners and bicyclists. For the locals, this is the same race course as the Potomac River Run Half Marathon and the DCRRC Gar Williams Belle Haven Half Marathon. It is a good course - challenging, but not too challenging.


3. International field, friendly competition. I think it is an honor to be beaten by some of the world's finest runners! This race does not disappoint. The winner, Jared Nyamboki, of Kenya, won in 1:11:00. He is a very fast man, indeed, and is also past winner of the Army Ten Miler. Rounding out the top three men were Birhanu Wakuw, of Ethiopia, and Michael Wardian, of Arlington. The first woman was Briana Whaley, of Culpeper, who finished in 1:21:19. Rounding out the top three women were Teyba Naser, of Ethiopia, and Suzanne Helene Himes, of Alexandria. Of note, Tebya Naser was the first woman in the Friends of the W&OD 10K on July 28, 2007. (See Friends of the W&OD race report on my blog at http://runfairfax.blogspot.com/2007/07/friends-of-w-10k-race-report.html.) Since you compete by country (or by state, for those of us from the United States), things were looking pretty good for us Virginians with Wardian's, Whaley's, and Himes' top three finishes.


4. The little details were nice. There was entertainment after the race, starting at about noon. It was worth staying around for, too! Lightweight tech shirts and medals featured the graphic artwork of the very talented Karla McDuffie. I love the shirt. Also, I really enjoyed finding the cooler full of freezer pops at the finish. That was like finding a prize. I haven't had those since I was a kid. (Note to race management: more freezer pops next year!) The only "complaint" I had was a very small one: the race management might want to bring some extra rolls of toilet paper in 2008. Apparently, the Belle Haven ladies room gets a lot of use on the holiday weekend and it seems a naughty little toilet paper vandal had "hit" the place before we got there.


5. This is something fun and healthy to do on Labor Day, before settling into an afternoon of cable TV "marathons". For some of us, Labor Day is a sports weekend, in that we go out and play lotsa sports on the last unofficial weekend of summer. On Saturday and Sunday, I was over competing in field events (and competing in them pretty poorly, I might add) at the Potomac Valley Games. It was nice to run a half marathon on Monday. Sure, it's work. But I felt like I earned the right to sit on my butt and watch Sean of the Dead in its entirety afterwards.


6. It's the Ethiopian Millenium. That's right. And you can celebrate Y2K again! The half marathon was an early part of the Millenium celebration, and there is a huge (and free) celebration open to the general public on the National Mall on Tuesday, September 11, 2007, starting at 5:00 p.m. and continuing until midnight. According to the old style Julian calendar, we are still living in 1999, folks! Pretty cool, eh? Ethiopia is a really cool country in so many ways and here's an opportunity to come out and learn a bit more: Ethiopia is one of the oldest countries in the world; it is rich in history, culture, and archeological treasures (including, of course, Lucy); for those of us who are runners, we know Ethiopia to be home to some of the greatest distance runners in the world (including the late Abebe Bikila); for those of us who are Christians, we know Ethiopia to be home to one of the most ancient Christian communities with a rich history and its own unique and beautiful Orthodox iconography. Happy 2000 to all of our Ethiopian friends and neighbors and thank you for sharing your celebration and your culture with us!