Elite athletes to participate
The Ethiopian Athletics Federation (EAF) is scheduled to celebrate the ‘global running day’ with a one-mile race on Wednesday, June 6, 2018. Elite athletes will take part in the race which covers a distance of 1.6kms.
Partnering with sport ministers, city governments, race organizers and member federations around the world, the IAAF’s initiative incorporates the race to be held in a dozen cities across 15-time zones.
According to IAAF statement, the race will start at the same local time to create a simultaneous worldwide celebration of running.
IAAF Run 24 one-mile run is scheduled to commence at 5:00 pm local time (GMT+12) across the Atlantic in countries including Auckland, Sydney, Tokyo, Minsk, Addis Ababa and others, the IAAF specified.
EAF unveiled that the celebration race will start and finish at Megenagna area and federation president Haile Gebresillassie is named as the captain of the race.
“Running is accessible to everyone, it is fun, competitive and it can be social, but most of all it builds strength, stamina, fitness and health,” IAAF president Sebstian Coe said.
On Wednesday June 6, many people across the world are expected to participate in the annual global running day. As the main facilitator of the project, the IAAF will assist with the round the clock coverage of the event on a dedicated website to be launched in the lead to the event, as well as across its various social media platform.
Celebrating its third edition in 2018, global running day is a grassroots initiative where people of abilities and different walks of life come together to celebrate their passion for running and inspire others to get moving.
Various sources defined the global running day as a day that celebrates the sport of running held in the first Wednesday of June. Global running day was formerly known as the national running day which began in the US. The first event was conducted in 2009.