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NAAR: In the early hours of a chilly morning in late October, marathon runner Kassahun Kabiso and his compatriots from his native Ethiopia, are putting on their running shoes and stuffing sweatshirts and socks into a backpack.
AMBI: 6sec FADE…ZIPING>>>under fade
NARR: Two out of the last three years, Kassahoun was the best New York road runner finishing first among New Yorkers running in the city's biggest Marathon. Kassahun shares a two bed room apartment in the Bronx with Reta, also runner. Since the summer they had three guests who came from Ethiopia for competition. Two of the gusts, Abiyot and Deresse sleep on the floor and Aziza, the only woman in the house gets the privilege of the sofa. From their over crowded base in this Bronx apartment, they train and race together. This morning ,they are setting off to their early morning training.
AMBI: Door closing…. 5sec
Kassahun is one of the 12 Ethiopian and three Kenyan athletes who train under the Westchester Track Club in upstate New York.
ACT: This is Mike Barnow coach and founder of the Westchester Track Club. 30th anniversary of the team. Post collage team here in the United States, which currently I have about 65 athletes on the roster. And there are 12/14 East Africans, mostly Kenyans and Ethiopians.
NARR: These are not topnotch world-class runners. But some of them have beaten U.S Olympians and national record holders. Barnow says the runners come to the United States in search of better opportunities.
ACT: (SEND MONEY) Everyone has a different story. Different reasons why they want to come here. Some wanna make money and send it back home, some want to start life here. The athletes often come here to race on a travel visa. Some times they come on a P1, which is professional running visa. Even a P1, they are only supposed to make their livelihood through running.
Making a living though running and running alone, the athletes are forced to race almost every weekend. They train twice a day eight to 10 times a week covering 75-95 miles on the trails of the Rockefeller Estate in Terry town and Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx.
ACT: I am training in the Bronx in Van Cortlandt Park. I live around there. And then a week two times, three times I go… Westchester County, Terrytown.
NARR: This morning Kassahun, the best marathoner in the club, is training at the heart of the Big Apple
NARR: Kassahun trains on the soft grass to avoid injury. He is running in the New York City Marathon the following weekend. If he finishes first among New York based runners, he collects a $5,000 jackpot. This would be his biggest pay of the year. Often he runs for prize money ranging from $200 to a thousand.
NARR: In Central park this morning, there is a 5 mile Kick-off run for New Yorkers before the big race next weekend. Two runners from the Westchester Track club are running the 5mile. Kassahun over looks the race starting line on Central Park West from where he is stretching on a grassy hill inside the park. After a while a stream of cheering runners flow down the street. The race has begun.
Act: Central Park Runners cheering...
NARR: Soon after the race started, Kassahun began his speed training. Among the tall trees in central park the diminutive runner surges with a blast of pace and disappears down the hill. Kassahun is about five feet three, but as Brnow describes him "he is all legs". It is hard to catch up with him as he zooms by breathing heavy.
AMBI: heavy breathing… central park ambi underneath.
NARR: Meanwhile… at the 5 mile race… home stretch, the winners are announced.
AMBI: (winner announcer) Our overall female winner for the Westchester Track Club with a time of 30 minutes three seconds, Leteyesus Berhe. From Ethiopia, residing in New York City. And our men's winner with a time of 25 minutes and four seconds, form Westchester Track Club, also from Ethiopia…Worku Bayi. Ethiopia and Westchester go one one.
NARR: There was no prize money for the winners of this race. Leteyesus and Worku were not happy to go home only with a silverware. Leteyesus dismissively offers the trophy to a group of congratulating colleagues. "It wont pay the rent" she said
NARR: Coach Barnow is worried that the runners are exhausting themselves in search of prizes.
ACT: I think almost all of them are over racing. With in three or four hours of New York every weekend , there are several races. Particularly the road races for a little bit of money. And they will say to me, 'oh there is a race next week for a thousand dollars or five hundred' and I will say well, there will probably be ten good runners there and it does not make sense to go.
Worku, who won the 5mile race today, is a good example of what Barnow is talking about. He passed out in the last mile of a race and woke up in a hospital two days later.
NARR: Barnow like most track and field coaches says to run two marathons a year, perhapse maximum of three. But over the past year, Kassahon had run 6 marathons, and more than 30 half-marathon and 10km races.
At New York City Marathon, Kassahun won the local road runner title. He pocketed $5,000 to wipe his sweat. But a hamstring injury that was bothering him in training relapsed after the race. Despite the injury, the search for prize money continued. Kassahun was running another marathon in about a month and a half-marathon a week after that.
ACT: To some of these athletes I try to say to them, what are you going to do in five years or 10 when you can't do this anymore? You gotta think about that. I think Education is something that is important.
NARR: The only one in the Brnow's group who says he does not feel the pressure to over race is Steven Chamlang of Kenaya. He is a graduate student at Iona College.
ACT: I don't get money from running. I run for fun and I run like I have that motivation of running. I get my money from school. I work as a graduate assistant.
NARR: But non of he Ethiopians in the group have completed high school and speak very little English. Barnow says part time jobs may help relive the race load.
ACT: (parttime) I think part time jobs would benefit everyone of them. It takes the pressure of having to race every weekend and I don't see interfering with training at all. If they can make a hundred dollars or a $125 a week partime, you don't have to race everyweekend. I see both sides, there is rent to be paid and food etc and you gotta live. Though this is our dillema now. How to train right, race right and improve.
NARR: But it takes this runners long time to change their visa status and get work permits. So Kassahun and the other runners, have to collect their harvest before the winter. They signed up for as many races as possible and run almost every weekend in the fall. All the outdoors running events remain closed until spring.
By the beginning of Winter, Kassahun's hamstring was bothering him. Abyot, the guest who lives with Kassahun, sustained a major knee injury.
The runners say they have no medical insurance - Kassahun
ACT: I don't have medical insurance. I don't have anything…just my insurance is God.
Four months later, in early April, it is still cold but it is spring. Kassahun walks to the Metro North Train to go to his training in Terry Town.
AMBI: (Spring) fade under NARR
NARR: When the train arrives in Terrytown, Barnow is waiting for them at the station to drive them to their training ground.
AMBI: Morning. Good Morning… Kassahun (car door closes). Today is beautiful. Today we have 45 degrees.
Barnow: We are getting out of the winter now. If the weather stays constistent, they can be consistant. Now we have a series of races. Over the next three races, they can run 10 times.
Kassahun asks Barnow what he thinks of running a half-marathon the next day.
ACT: (Barnow)What do I think? What do I think. I think It's probably a great idea. The next week, we know in Denbery, there is a half marathon Right? I think you go run another race this weekend with a hamstring, you think about it. It was Sunday right? Five days ago, it did not allow you to finish the race. I think you are better off train between now and Denbery.
Where is the race you are talking about?
Kassahun :Washington DC
Barnow: Oh Washington. Washington…
Barnow: Yeah, yeah, yeah…Take a break. You are too anxtious. There are a million races now. Can't do everything.
AmbI: cows…
NARR: Cows are grazing on the Rockefeller Estate farm. On the ploughed trails margined by melting snow, Barnow gives the work out for the runners.
ACT: Steven gonna run by himself. You wanna try to go with him?
(Kassahun): Yeah
(Barnow): You gotta be careful, you gonna go slower than Steven? Two laps
(Kassahun): Two laps?
(Barnow): May be he goes too fast for you. We will see…
AMBI: Heavy breathing…Cows mooning…
The race never ends for these runners. Injuries or no injuries they continue to run in order to pay the bills. Every day they train hard and pray not to sustain a major injury that could sideline them forever. Henok Fente, Columbia Radio News.