The 2023 Safaricom Women First 5km will take place on Sunday 12th March 2023. 

The WOMEN FIRST 5km, a 5km women’s-only run in Addis Ababa, was started in 2004 – the same year as the Athens Olympics – to recognize the achievements of Ethiopia’s great female athletes. It also aimed to support the broader changes regarding the role of women in Ethiopia’s economic and social life. Ethiopia’s double Olympic gold medallist Meseret Defar is the ambassador for this event.

WOMEN FIRST has grown into the biggest women’s-only run in Ethiopia and one of the biggest in Africa. The race traditionally takes place around International Women’s Day on 8th March.

2022 saw the staging of the 19th edition of the event with the run held on 13th March 2022 and attracting a record 10,000 participants.

Each year, this race publicizes important social messages that focus on women’s empowerment and achievement. The message for the 19th edition was “Celebrating Women’s Achievement in Ethiopia”.