The sun had barely risen but the cool morning air was buzzing with excitement: 350 participants had gathered in Ethiopia, the land of runners, for the country's first international marathon.
Sunday's race, organised by athletics legend Haile Gebrselassie, drew 150 elite Ethiopian athletes and about 150 foreign "fun runners".
It promises to boost professionalism in a country that has produced scores of world-class runners, many of whom started running barefoot along dusty country roads.
"Believe me, we can produce more big names, we can produce more marathon runners, more Olympic champions, world champion and world record holders," said Gebrselassie, two-time marathon record-breaker and 10,000 Olympic champion.
Race organisers sought to draw Ethiopia's top athletes to the race in Hawassa, 275 kilometres south of Ethiopia's capital, by offering the largest cash prize in Ethiopian racing history - close to $A5500 each for the top man and woman competitors.
The marathon is part of an overall boost to Ethiopian athletics, which in the past two years has been bolstered by new world-class training centres and a series of competitive races that have drawn crowds from around the world.
"Two years ago there was nothing here, athletes they wanted to come to Ethiopia to train there was no facility," said Gebrselassie, who hosts several runs throughout the year, including the annual Great Ethiopian Run, which last year drew close to 40,000 people.
Sunday's marathon winner, Gudissa Shentema, said the race was a historical victory for him as he had never run a competitive marathon on home soil, and that it has encouraged him to train harder.
"I've been competing in different countries but this one gives me a lot of motivation to continue."
Gebrselassie said he hopes to draw casual runners from abroad too, in order to promote a running culture and give foreigners a chance to tour Ethiopia.
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