Day 5 of Run Across Ethiopia: Crank the tunes, lift the mood
Today, the Run Across Ethiopia harriers and local Tesfa team runners faced a third straight 30-mile run through the Rift Valley to Lake Lagano. The team that awoke this morning before 5 a.m. hobbled, limped, crawled and pranced their way to the bus for a predawn breakfast of hard-boiled eggs, peanut butter & jelly sandwiches and coffee — some of their toes bound in tape and sore ankles and knees wrapped, their stomachs victims of the local cuisine, and looking battle-weary like soldiers returning from the front.
But once aboard the bus, the music cranked, and the mood shifted to anticipation of feet on the ground. The pranks, the jokes, the light trash-talking resumed. Nigel the Brit’s early morning karaoke acts, Chris Treter’s tank-like running stride, Chris Girrbach’s feet that seem to attract sharp objects as if they were magnets. This is the kind of self-deprecation that carries one through hell intact … or a 250-mile, 10-day run through Ethiopia. And a little adversity ain’t gonna stop these cats.
The gang tried something new today: music from the support van’s speakers to pick up the runners whenever they felt down. First, Beyonce, Eminem and icons of American hip-hop; then this journalist was asked to produce a thumb drive of reggae, Latino music and (Hans’ Voss request) Rammstein German techno music. I sat out the 30-mile run today. After jumping into the fray and running 8 miles, then 10, then 17, then limping toward 12 yesterday — without training for any sort of marathon — my left knee felt as though it had been stabbed by a knife. So I played DJ, assisted Coach Dan Zemper and nurse Mamoush in preparing the water and food sustenance breaks for the runners, and shot videos.
Below you’ll find footage from Day 5 of the Run Across Ethiopia. The team has now run 138 miles (20+28+30+30+30), which means we’re over halfway to 250! One more 30-miler tomorrow, and the hardest stretch will be overcome — though the low mileage altitude climb is yet to come.
The Run Across Ethiopia team sets off on Day 5 to a beautiful sunrise to the east, and Manu Chao music blaring from the support van’s speakers.
Run Across Ethiopia coach Dan Zemper speaks on Day 5 about how the runners are fairing and how he got involved in this project.
Run Across Ethiopia organizer Timothy Young weighs in on how things are going on Day 5 of the 250-mile run from Addis Ababa to Yirgachefe.
Notre Dame alum Matt Desmond teaches local children to chant “Go Irish” on Day 5 of the Run Across Ethiopia.
Mary opens Day 5 of the Run Across Ethiopia with words of encouragement, before the team runs another 30 miles.
Claire Everhart shares how she’s feeling on Day 5 of the Run Across Ethiopia
Norm Plumstead is hurting a little at the end of Day 4 of the Run Across Ethiopia. Days 3-6 are all 30-mile jogs.
By contrast, Plumstead regroups and fights on during Day 5 of the Run Across Ethiopia.
Back on the road for Day 5, Hans Voss thanks all who’ve contributed to make the Run Across Ethiopia possible.
