The sixth edition of the "Great Ethiopian Run International" 10Km road race is fast approaching. It will attract a field of around 25,000 participants, the biggest for any road race in Africa. In recent years, the run has become one of the "don't miss" events: it is very likely that your friends and colleagues are taking part. You may have your own personal goals to improve on your finishing time from last year.

For the vast majority of participants, 35 Br entry fee seems a small price to participate in the run. It provides you with a range of participant materials - including T-shirt, race bag and magazine, not to mention your finishers' medal on race day - and, perhaps equally importantly, gives you the motivation to get fit for the race so that you can keep up with your friends in the race and achieve your time goals.

A great spin-off from the race has been for an increasing number of Addis Abeba residents to discover the health benefits associated with physical exercise.

A fact less known by many of race participants is that they are also getting good value for their money. A comparison with similar-sized mass-participation races in other parts of the world shows that participants pay anything from 500 to 1,000 Br (20 to 25 times more) to participate in these races, although the content of the race packs is unlikely to be very different from what is provided here.

It may not be surprising, therefore, to learn that registration fees at the Great Ethiopian Run International account for a relatively small part (less then 30pc) of the total race budget of around two million Birr. Compare this to other big international races where registration fees can contribute as much as 70-80pc of the overall budget.

The flip side of this is that, if the race is to fulfil its main aim of being a showcase event for Ethiopia, then funding support from sponsors must assume a far greater role - a point frequently made at media events organized by Great Ethiopian Run race organisers.

While a portion of sponsorship income is set aside to subsidise the cost of producing materials for participants, which cost considerably more than the 35 Br they are charged, an even greater share of sponsorship income is spent on producing and ensuring distribution of a high-quality TV programme about the event. This year, in the weeks following the run, the race will be shown on major outlets such as the BBC World Service, Supersport and ESPN.

Other major expenses include advertising and publicity, event management, paying for VIP guests from abroad and cash prizes for elite athletes.

Great Ethiopian Run is no different from any other big international road race in seeking to attract world-famous athletes to its major competition for big names create excitement and go down well with the public, the media and sponsors alike. However, the Great Ethiopian Run is yet to achieve the levels of race income required to pay appearance fees to these VIP athletes; the budget for appearance fees alone at some international races can be as high as 10 million Br. It, therefore, has to depend both on the race's growing international reputation and the considerable 'pulling power' of the race's patron and overall director, Haile Gebrselassie, as a way of bringing world-famous stars here. His long-time friend and fellow IAAF Athletes' Commission Member, Hichem el Guerrouj, who like Haile has won two Olympic and four consecutive world titles, will be one of these VIPs attending this year's race.

Great Ethiopian Run is sometimes asked what it does with any surplus generated from the staging of its international race. Some of the surplus is reinvested into the organisation's wider work of introducing mass-participation road races to different parts of Ethiopia. A smaller part has also been used to make donations to important national causes, including the support it had extended during the 2002 famine and the flooding in Dire Dawa earlier this year. Some funds have also been given to the Ethiopian Athletics Federation, towards the building of a new national athletics centre.

As registration opens this week for the competition on November 26, 2006, participants are advised to register early and encouraged to take up a programme of exercise to prepare for the race. There may be few better ways to get value for your money and have fun and be healthy as a result.