Record turnout for Africa's biggest road race in Ethiopian capital

A Record number of 42,000 professional and amateur runners from 20 countries on Sunday participated in the 16th edition of the 2016 TOTAL Great Ethiopian Run (GER), Africa's largest road race.

The 10-kilometre international race for men and women in Addis Ababa also attracted 500 local and foreign athletes.

Ethiopian athletes dominated this year's edition in both the men's and women's categories, with a Kenyan athlete finishing second in the men's category, the best result for a non-Ethiopian athlete in the competition's history.

Abbe Gashaw beat Kenya's Jerome L. at the finish line in the men's category, while another Ethiopian athlete Adugna Takele finished third.

"It is wonderful to win the competition in my first ever trial at the Great Ethiopian Run," said Abbe.

He also said the win will help him succeed in more and bigger international stages.

Ethiopian athletes Foten Tesfaye, Muluye Dekebo and Tadelech B. won first to third places respectively in the women's category.

GER founder, Haile Gebrselassie, arguably the world's most successful distance runner of all time and currently President of the Ethiopian Athletics Federation, told Xinhua that the race "was wonderful in general."

"Since we started, the Ethiopians won the race. Our athletes had a big challenge from Kenya today and it didn't happen like this before. It was fantastic," said Haile.

Two waves, red wave for runners that are able to finish the 10km race in less than one hour and green wave for joggers and walkers respectively, were organized for the first time in the race.

Founded in 2001, GER has staged over 100 races in different parts of Ethiopia and produced a number of top Ethiopian athletes over the years, including Gebregziabeher Gebremariam, Workinesh Kidane, Tirunesh Dibaba, Sileshi Sihine, Abebe Dinkessa, Deriba Merga, Tsegaye Kebede, Chala Dechasa and many others. Endit