Tolassa Gadaa Elemaa was an elite runner in Ethiopia with a promising career until he spoke out about human rights violations. After surviving five years in prison, Elemaa fled to Kenya in 2010 before making his way to Dallas with help from the International Rescue Committee. "For the first time in his adult life, he has this opportunity to run, and to run on his own terms." Laywell, his friends and fellow IRC staffers created a Facebook page, TeamTolassa, and a fundraising page to assist with expenses. Elemaa trained with the Mugher Cement Factory team, where many top Ethiopian runners trained.

Source: Ethiopian News November 02, 2018 01:41 UTC