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Runners on the Way Up
Atalelech Ketema: Running Home
Home Sweet Running Shoes
by Drew Woodrich
August 22, 2003
For the Washington Running Report
Atalelech Ketema at the 2003 Sallie Mae 10K, where she finished in 34:54 (photo by Kathy Freedman)
We met for an interview on a Saturday morning in May at a Bethesda Starbucks coffee shop shortly after Atalelech Ketema raced to victory in the Germantown 5 Miler in 28:05. Ketema and Retta Feyissa, a male Ethiopian athlete who placed 6th and ran 25:30 on this Saturday, had ridden to the event with Elias Haileyesus, a northern Virginia Ethiopian businessman. Haileyesus served as translator for Ketema, who speaks amharic and little english after 16 months in the United States. Feyissa also helped Haileyesus translate with explanations of terms specific to the sport of running (example: the nuances of racing cross country, track and road ). The story she told was of a woman devoted to her sport and willing to define home as the place where running happens.
In Ethiopia, Atalelech Ketema started running at age 14 in school. Her victory in a 1500 meter race against other girls in her province attracted the notice of a government sports commission. She accepted an invitation to represent her province, one of 14 regions in Ethiopia, in competition; after three years, Ketema took a step to the next level and joined a sports club with a coach. She was a member of the Ethiopian national team in 2001 and 2002 that traveled to the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in Belgium and Ireland. Ketema placed 30th in the 2002 Championships Long Event (8K) held in Dublin - she ran 28:33 as 6th Ethiopian on the Gold medalist women's team. A comparison with Americans Elva Dryer, 28th in 28:27 and Amy Rudolph, 31st in 28:37 indicates the calibre of Ketema's performance: Elva Dryer is a training partner of Deena Drossin at Team USA California and she represented the USA at the 2000 Sydney Olympics in the 5000 meters; Amy Rudolph ran 15:29 in the 2000 Olympics 5000 meters and placed 10th overall in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics 5000 meters with a time of 15:20.
Why did a talented runner leave Ethiopia and come to the United States? Atalelech Ketema answered that she ran the 2002 Peachtree 10K road race in Atlanta - 17th place in 34:26 although ill- and decided afterwards to stay in the United States. She felt the Ethiopian athletic program didn't care about her, Ketema added with a note of dissatisfaction. Ethiopia has an efficient program to identify talent and an incredible wealth of top-notch female distance runners - Derartu Tulu won 10,000 meters titles in the 1992 Barcelona and the 2000 Sydney Olympics and Fatuma Roba won the Olympic Marathon Gold in the 1996 Atlanta Games - but a democracy of opportunity for advancement is the strength of the American program. Retta Feyissa noted that government bureaucracy with visa requests makes it difficult for athletes to travel freely to international events. Ketema has an ambition to compete in the Olympics someday, a marathon project, and with her father's assistance moved to Washington, DC where she has continued her training. (Note: Recently, Ketema and Feyissa have decided to move to the New York area.)
Atalelech Ketema raced in several local events during a period
from late July, 2002 to May, 2003
and frequently took the honors as first woman:Rockville Rotary Twilight 8K 27:24, 1st
Kentlands/Lakelands 5K 16:51, 1st
Georgetown 10K 33:29, 1st
Philadelphia 8K 26:51, 2nd
Plaza America 5K 17:23, 1st
Clyde's 10K 35:43, 1st
Sallie Mae 10K 34:54, 5th
Capitol Hill 10K 36:26, 1st
During the summer months this year, she has been facing stiffer
competition for prize money on
the East Coast and in Iowa:
New York Mini 10K 35:33, 22nd
Litchfield (Ct.) Hills 7.04 Miler 40:07, 3rd
Shelter Island (Long Island) 10K 34:56, 1st
Fifth Season 8K (Iowa) 27:02, 1st & $2500
Vytra Women's Long Island 5K 16:01, 3rd
CIGNA HealthCare Corporate 5K 16:18, 3rd
Atalelech Ketema and Retta Feyissa have trained together in Washington, D.C.; she enjoys the challenge of chasing faster men. Feyissa talked briefly about his running career during the hour-long conversation. He arrived in the United States in April, 2000 and says he was a member of the Ethiopian men's marathon team, won the Buenos Aires Marathon in 1999 and placed 3rd in the 2000 Hong Kong Marathon. He believes he has the potential to run a 2:08 marathon under proper training conditions, but school and full-time work leaves him exhausted. A newcomer must work quickly to develop relationships and financial resources to enable quality racing before the cost of living slows one down. Meanwhile, he continues to work on improving his marathon time by focusing on speed work. A soft- spoken and emotional man, he has become a running friend for a young woman with lofty goals. Ketema, an optimistic individual with quiet charm, showed her support by attending the 2002 Montgomery Marathon in the Parks, where Retta Feyissa ran 2:34:05 for third place.
Thanks to Elias Haileyesus and Retta Feyissa for their translation assistance during the interview!