Before sunrise each morning, groups of teenage runners gather on the edge of Hargeisa to train on dirt roads and school fields, preparing for a regional athletics meet later this month.

The athletes, many of them still at secondary school, run long distances on the hills outside the city and return for speed work on a rough track marked out with stones. Girls and boys train side by side under the watch of volunteer coaches.

Talent, but few facilities

One coach, a former runner who now teaches physical education, said the region has no shortage of talent. "These young people run to school every day. What they need is a proper track, good shoes and enough food to recover," he said. Some athletes share a single pair of spikes between them on race days.

Parents said running has given their children discipline and confidence, and several said they had seen improvements in school attendance among those who train regularly.

Local businesses have begun to help in small ways. A shop owner donated water and bananas for weekend sessions, and a tailor offered to make matching club vests so that the runners can compete in the same colours at the meet.

The coaches hope that strong performances at the meet will attract support from sponsors and the athletics federation, and that the best runners will be invited to national training camps.

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