The Great Ethiopian Run, Africa’s largest mass-participation road running event, has launched an expansion strategy aimed at becoming the world’s largest 10km road race by 2030, following a partnership with Bank of America as the event’s new Presenting Partner.
The new Bank of America agreement marks an international partnership in the event’s 26-year history and signals a phase of growth focused on increasing participation, expanding youth engagement, strengthening sport tourism and modernising the race experience.
The organisers confirmed that registration for the 2026 Great Ethiopian Run International 10km, scheduled for November 22, 2026, will increase to a record 60,000 participants, while the event’s children’s races will expand to 5,000 primary school participants.
In addition, 3,000 free entries will be reserved for graduating secondary school students to broaden youth participation.
The partnership also extends to the Women’s First 5km, held annually around International Women’s Day, where Bank of America will also become the Presenting Partner.
Dagmawit Amare, Managing Director at Great Ethiopian Run, said “Today marks a new chapter in our journey as we aim to increase the impact of our flagship race in terms of youth opportunity, sport tourism and local enterprise. We are excited by the new possibilities opening up through our partnership with Bank of America and the continued support of our longstanding partners.”
The organisation has set an objective of becoming the world’s largest 10km road race within the next five years, positioning Ethiopia’s flagship mass-participation sporting event among leading road races internationally.
As part of its modernisation strategy, the 2026 edition will introduce chip timing for a section of participants for the first time in the event’s history, alongside expanded digital registration through the Telebirr platform.
The organisers also announced an expansion of the annual Run For A Cause fundraising programme through the GivenGain online platform, enabling participants to raise funds directly for three Ethiopian beneficiary organisations.
Since its establishment in 2001, the Great Ethiopian Run operation has organised more than 250 races across Ethiopia, attracting participants from Ethiopia and internationally while showcasing the country’s reputation in distance running.
The 2026 race will be held under the theme ‘My Run, My Color’, highlighting both individual identity and the diversity of participants who gather annually in Addis Ababa.
In addition to Bank of America, this year’s partners include UNICEF, Ethio Telecom, Ethiopian Airlines, the Ministry of Tourism, Hyatt Regency Addis Ababa and several Ethiopian private-sector companies.
