Culture Shock Can't Break Trio's Stride

Sunday, March 26, 2006; Page E03

Imagine living thousands of miles from home, with daytime television and a convenience store as your cultural and social frames of reference. For exercise, you run twice a day, more than 100 miles per week.

Such is the uncomplaining fate of three talented Ethiopian runners who were granted two-year visas through their national athletics federation to train and compete in the United States. Birukgelan Regassa was the first to arrive, one month ago from the Oromo highlands, home to some of the world's greatest distance runners, including Kenenisa Bekele.

Regassa, 25, moved into his brother's Oxon Hill apartment. Regassa's friend, Gurmessa Kumsa, and his cousin, Delmaneh Woyessa, arrived in the United States a week later. Only Regassa speaks English, but the three entertain themselves when they're not training by watching television and helping out at the 7-Eleven store managed by Regassa's brother, their landlord.

"We are here to compete on a higher standard," Regassa said after Kumsa won his first race in Washington, the St. Patrick's Day 8K on March 12, in 23 minutes 36 seconds. Kumsa, 27, ran the last several hundred meters down Pennsylvania Avenue waving to the crowd and blowing kisses; the second-place finisher was nearly a minute back.

Without a coach or an agent, the men have scrambled to find races commensurate with their talent. For winning at St. Patrick's, Kumsa received $100, a $50 gift certificate at a local running store and a fleece vest. Woyessa, 19, finished third, and Regassa, nursing an ankle injury, was 17th. Confusion and miscommunication caused them to miss the Shamrock 8K last Saturday in Virginia Beach. Instead, the men ran the physically more taxing half marathon on Sunday, in which Kumsa finished second in 1:04:27 and won $700.

Yesterday, Kumsa won the National Half Marathon in 1 hour 8 minutes 29 seconds; second place was nearly four minutes back.

And next weekend the men plan on running in the competitive Monument Avenue 10K in Richmond, with the hope of fast times and good prize money. "We are out of our culture here," Regassa said. "We don't have anything like Jerry Springer in Ethiopia. But we are learning."

· SHAMROCK RACE REPORT: Mary Kate Bailey, from Arlington, ran 1:15:23 to win the half marathon in Virginia Beach last weekend with the third-fastest time by an American woman this year. Michael Mann, from Hampton, Va., and the subject of this column on Feb. 26, finished the marathon in 2:54:26 six months after undergoing surgery for lung cancer.

"It gives me a starting point to improve from," Mann said.

· RUNNING THE CITY: Approximately 4,000 runners were registered to compete in three area events yesterday. More than 2,000 registered for the National Marathon and half marathon, another 1,500 for the Scope It Out 5K, also downtown, and 500 for the Run vs. Row 10K in Alexandria.

Next Sunday, 10,000 will participate in the 34th Cherry Blossom 10 Mile run.