Tolassa Elemaa, Josh Millard, and Andrew Holzschuh at the TCS NYC Marathon EXPO
Tolassa Elemaa, Josh Millard, and Andrew Holzschuh at the TCS NYC Marathon EXPO
Photo: Personal Photo

In November of 2017 when Tolassa Elema was resettled by the IRC in Dallas, he dreamed of the chance to run again. Born in the Oromia region of Ethiopia, Tolassa’s standout running talent led to him being recruited to the Mugher Cement Factory Club where many of the world’s top running legends have trained. 

Soon after arriving in Dallas, he started joining IRC staff on Wednesday morning runs with a local running club. Alex Laywell, an IRC staff member, says “Tolassa began routinely expressing a desire to compete. He would pull up races on his phone to show me what he wanted to do.” In March 2018, Tolassa laced up for the 2018 Dallas Rock’n’Roll Half-Marathon with new running gear from IRC supporters. With friends, family, and IRC staff cheering him on, Tolassa finished 2ndin his division. 

A Dallas-area photographer, Andrew Holzschuh who photographed Tolassa during his first Half-Marathon, connected him to Josh Millard, a local marathon runner. Having successfully completed his first run in the United States, Tolassa set his sights on the 2018 TCS NYC Marathon. With only 6 months to train and still getting settled into his new life in Dallas, the road to NYC would not come easy. 

Determined to squeeze in runs before dawn with Josh even as he started his new job at the Adolphus Hotel of Marriott International, Tolassa started to prepare for the longest race he had ever run. On July 27th, #TeamTolassa officially launched on Facebook and Crowdrise with the release of the short film He’s Still Fast by Holzchuh.

Almost 20 years later, Tolassa’s dream of running is finally coming true here in the United States. With the assistance of #TeamTolassa and supporters, he has continued to push through every obstacle that came his way. 

To everyone who joined #TeamTolassa and made Tolassa’s first NYC Marathon a reality, less than one year after arriving to the United States – thank you. Tolassa’s 26.2 miles in New York City on November 4, 2018 was made possible by his many supporters who have contributed and cheered him on at every mile.

A special thanks to Life in Deep Ellum for outfitting Tolassa with new running gear, Marriott International for their assistance in Dallas and NYC, and a friend of the IRC for flying Tolassa’s family out to NYC to cheer him on as he ran.