Adola's journey to victory at the Berlin Marathon
October 21, 2021
On a sunny September 26 morning, Guye Idemo Adola ran down the wide boulevard leading to the Brandenburg Gate, leading a field of 42,000 runners to win the Berlin marathon.
Two places behind him was his accomplished Ethiopian compatriot, childhood hero and the last winner of the race, Kenenisa Bekele.
"I was happy to run against him," Adola tells DW. "But I felt on top of the world winning against him."
Berlin brings out the best in the 31-year-old. When he ran his first ever marathon in the German capital in 2016, he clocked a world record debut time of 2:03:46, behind Kenyan legend Eliud Kipchoge. It is a time that still keeps him in the top 20 fastest marathons ever.
But it has taken Adola five years to finally win a marathon.
A year after his incredible run in Berlin, Adola competed in London but finished in a disappointing 17th place with a time of 2:32:35. He was not invited back. But a third-place finish in Valencia in 2019 (2:04:42) saw him back on track.
In 2020, the pandemic prevented him from running a full marathon as race events were cancelled around the world, but victory in Berlin is now proof of his immense potential.
'My parents don't have to sell their livestock anymore'
Adola takes his name from the town he grew up in, 125km from Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital.
His parents were livestock farmers and, as a child, he would help shepherd cattle and sheep, looking for fertile pastures in a dry region. He started to run in school where he was encouraged by teachers - barefoot at first, until his parents pooled enough money from selling some of the family's livestock to buy his first used running shoes.
Running would change Adoba's life, and that of his family.
He joined the Ambo Club, initially participating in shorter races in the countryside around Addis, where his running style and economy caught the attenion of professional coach Gemedu Dedefo. He joined Dedefo's team and, by 2014, was winning half-marathons abroad in Marrakech and Delhi, but his management felt he had the potential to run longer distances, and they were right.
Adola used his prize money from his runner-up finish in Berlin in 2017 to build a house for his parents. Only after victory this year did he buy his first car.
"Our lives are better now," he says. "I am able to support my family, they don't need to sell their livestock anymore."
The marathon life
The life of elite long-distance runners is full of difficulties, training throughout the year to compete in two marathons annually, and the body needs time to recover from the rigours of running the 42.195km at top speeds of 20km/h.
Failure to achieve a certain time threshold at a race can result in invitations being withheld. It's not just a race against the opposition, but a personal battle against the clock.
The top of the elite men's and women's marathon has been dominated by Kenyans and Ethiopians over the last 20 years. East Africa's high altitude is one factor in the region's dominance, helping sustain a long-distance running industry which keeps producing top athletes.
Dedefo, one of Ethiopia's leading long-distance coaches whose roster includes the 2021 London Marathon winner Sesay Lemma as well as Tamirat Tola, the winner in Amsterdam, believes that Adola can be just that.
"Our plan is for Adola to try to run sub-2.01 or 2.02 based on the weather and the pace," says Dedefo. The current men's world record is held by Kipchoge at 2.01.39.
'A great career ahead'
The marathon field is more competitive than ever with the advancement in shoe technology ensuring that faster races are possible.
Adola's 2.05.45 in Berlin leaves him at number 28 in the world, but those close to him believe he can compete with the very best.
"Guye will have a great career ahead of him if he is able to focus, be committed and not get distracted," says Gianni Demadonna, his Italian agent. "That is the life of a marathon runner."
Adola experienced that life at first hand on his long journey to victory in Berlin. He will hope that it's just the beginning.