Two deaths overshadow this year's Great Ethiopian Run, an annual 10-kilometre road running event founded by Haile Gebrselassie and held in Addis Ababa since 2001. According to AP, two runners passed away during the race that took place on Sunday, November 26th, 2017 from what is said to be medical problems. (Photo: Facebook)
By Elias Meseret
2 runners die in Ethiopian road race
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Organizers say two competitors have died in the 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) Great Ethiopian Run road race.
Organizers didn’t identify the two runners or give causes of death. Police said medical experts suspect heart problems could be the cause of both deaths.
On their Facebook page, organizers say: “The two runners collapsed and were taken to a hospital but they didn’t make it. We will provide more details in the coming days.”
Eyewitness Mikias Desalegn says one of the runners collapsed moments after finishing the race and was “rushed into an ambulance.”
Around 45,000 people competed in Sunday’s race, including Olympic 5,000 meter champion Vivian Cheruiyot of Kenya and former world half-marathon champion Lornah Kiplagat of the Netherlands.
The Great Ethiopian Run was started by the country’s distance-running great Haile Gebrselassie in 2001 and is the largest road race in Africa.
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