Addis Ababa is a busy capital city with few green areas in the city centre for off-road running. If you wish to stay near the centre the best places to head for are Meskel Square (especially early in the morning) and the Jan Meda racecourse in the north of the city near to the main Addis Ababa University campus.

By far the best places to train, and where many of the country’s top runners do their training, are in the forests surrounding the northern edge of Addis Ababa. Taxi drivers will be able to take you to the Ararat Hotel on the northeast side of town from where you can run directly up into the forests; or you can go higher up to Entoto Mariam Church which is situated at the top of the road leading north from the University at Sudist Kilo. A little further out of town on the Gojam / Bahir Dar road heading northwest of Addis are large areas of forest near Sululta – it will take you 30 minutes to reach here by taxi from the centre of Addis.