A barefoot run in Rome to commemorate Legendary athlete Abebe Bikila
Rome Marathone 2023 will be held next Sunday, March 19
Thus, the history of the marathon is said to repeat itself, and the 45-year-old Ermias Ayele, the Ethiopian barefoot runner and the director of the Ethiopian Great Run for years, will run at the Rome marathon.
Ermias Ayele is doing this for the honor of Ethiopia’s great athlete Abebe Bikila and for building the country’s image.
“Abebe Bikila was the first black person to win a gold medal at the Olympic Games, so he laid the foundation for the success of not only Ethiopian athletes, but Africans in general,” said Ermias.
He said that the story of athlete Abebe Bikala always inspires him and for this reason he told Aips media that he will run barefoot in the same place and in the same way he made history in order to give respect and gratitude for what he has done for athletics and Ethiopia.
Ermias, who stated that the Rome competition will not be easy and will be emotional, said, “I have completed my preparations for this important and historic competition.”
Ermias added that it will take him up to four hours to finish the race and that the Rome Marathon will help him in the next 18 months in the Athens, Tokyo and Paris Marathons, which are related to him in one way or another.
Abebe Bikila, the barefoot marathon athlete, not only paid tribute to his history, but also expressed his great contribution to the image of the country.
Ermias had previously completed the entire Great Run twice; He ran the entire Hawassa Half Marathon barefoot and has been preparing for the Rome Marathon.
