By Paul Gains
Ethiopian women have made their mark on the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon, winning seven of the past ten editions. Now, Ayinadis Teshome will line up on October 18, intent on extending her country’s record at this World Athletics Elite Label race.
“I have heard so much about the Toronto Waterfront Marathon because my training partners have won and been on the podium in the past,” says the 23-year-old from her home in the capital, Addis Ababa. “Now it is my turn to get on the podium too. I can’t wait to come to Canada.”
Ayinadis trains with a group of athletes managed by Moyo Sports, and the 2022 TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon champion, Yihunelighn Adane, is among them in this Asics-sponsored group.
“Yihunelign Adane told me about the Toronto marathon, and I watched the race as well at home on YouTube,” she reveals.
A former training partner, Waganesh Mekasha, set the course record of 2:20:44 in 2024, and this is very much on Ayinadis’s mind.
“My training is going as planned; I am doing really well,” Ayinadis reveals. “Yes, of course I can run much faster on flat, fast courses.”
Earlier this year, she finished 6th in the Seoul Marathon in a new personal best of 2:20:51. Clearly, that performance has given her confidence of being on the podium and also challenging the Toronto Waterfront course record.
Ayinadis comes from Dega Damon, Gojjam in Ethiopia’s Amhara region. Much of the rugged terrain sits at 3,000m (9,800 feet) above sea level. However, there are many plateaus that are suitable for growing crops. Indeed, her family are farmers. The altitude is also a natural advantage, especially when she trains and races at lower altitudes. Addis, for example, is a slightly lower elevation (2,355m/7726ft).
As a young girl she listened on the radio to the exploits of another young woman who called Gojjam home, Emebet Anteneh, who earned the 3,000m silver medal at the 2010 World Junior Championships for Ethiopia. That was a source of inspiration. Emebet competed in many Canadian road races.
“Amhara region is where I came from, and I have lived in Addis Ababa for more than five years,” Ayinadis says, adding that she lives in Gulile, a sub-city of Addis.
Three times a week, she will take a taxi to the Entoto Mountains from her home in Addis to do her easy runs. These ‘blue taxis’ are inexpensive and not to be confused with those used by tourists.
When it is time for group training, the athletes needing a ride will board a bus owned by Moyo and set out for some of the preferred out-of-town locations. Speed work sessions, for instance, are held in Sululta at a track built by Kenenisa Bekele, the three-time Olympic champion.
Between training sessions, she enjoys watching Amharic programs on television. Like many Ethiopians, she is also a regular attendee at Mehdanalem church in her neighbourhood. It’s an Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
As always, the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon organizers will assign pacemakers to help the leading international and Canadian athletes chase designated times. If the conditions are good and her training has gone according to plan, we may well see Ayinadis threaten her compatriot’s course record – and extend Ethiopia’s command of the race.
