Ferris cross country runner Amir Ado glad family bid adieu to war-torn Libya

Amir Ado grew up playing soccer in Libya.

He loved the sport but playing in the neighborhood streets of Benghazi, Libya, came to an end in early 2011. That’s when an uprising against the government of Muammar Gaddafi took place.

Then eight months after Islamic militants attacked the American diplomatic compound in September 2012, Ado and his family fled to a refugee camp in Egypt where they lived for two years.

On July 1, 2013, Amir, his six other siblings and parents were relocated to Spokane.

“We heard it was a good place to live, and safe,” Ado said.

The move was just in time for his freshman year of high school, and Ado enrolled at Ferris.

Ado remembers the chaotic life in Benghazi. His family lived a mile from the fighting.

“It wasn’t safe,” he said. “People were dying all around. I know a lot of people who died. A lot of close, close friends and people I grew up with.”

Ado went through quite an adjustment at Ferris.

“I didn’t know any English,” he said. “I didn’t know anybody and I was nervous.”

The spring of his freshman year he turned out for soccer but quit after a day.

His sophomore year he turned out again and made the C team.

One of his English teachers suggested Ado try cross country.

He had almost forgot about the idea until late in the summer going into his junior year when he saw some cross country runners out for a run.

Ado, whose parents were born in Sudan, asked them about turning out. His first practice with the team went out on a 13-mile run.

He had no running base. Somehow he managed to hang with the leaders for 9 miles before he ran out of gas. He walked the final 4 miles. He wanted to quit.

“My coach told me ‘good job’ and I couldn’t tell him I was quitting,” Ado said.

It’s amazing how far Ado progressed last fall. In a matter of a little more than two months, he went from having no legs under him to finishing 17th at the State 4A meet.

“He took to it right away,” Ferris coach Mike Hadway said. “He progressed real quickly. A lot of it was natural ability.”

Ado said he couldn’t have fared as well as he did without Hadway.

“He (taught) me how to run,” Ado said.

Ado gave up soccer last spring, turning out for track. He qualified for state in the 1,600 meters. He was near the lead at the end of the third lap when he decided to make a move.

As he was striding around a runner, another runner behind him accidentally tripped Ado, who fell to the track. He got up and finished last.

Ado spent his summer building quite a base for this fall. Most weeks he ran about 80 miles, and for a four-week stretch averaged 100.

“He trained really hard,” Hadway said. “He’s got a lot of potential. If everything goes right he could be a state contender.”

In a season-opening meet last Saturday, Ado took first in the Tracy Walters Invite, beating Hayden Dressel of Mt. Spokane for the first time.

Ado finished in a time of 15 minutes, 56 seconds. North Central standout Justin Janke, who captured a State 3A title last fall, won on the same course last year in 15:51.

“I really surprised myself,” Ado said.

When Ado was told Janke’s time, his eyebrows raised and a smile filled his face.

“I want to win every race and the state championship,” Ado said.

Ado is among the top five returners in the state. The top returning senior is Zak Kindl of Lewis and Clark. Kindl took fourth at state last year, finishing 16 seconds ahead of Ado.

Dressel was impressed with Ado last Saturday.

“I know that being under Hadway he works really hard,” Dressel said. “They do the mileage and keep their speed. The thing I admire about Amir is he’s really gutsy and he’s not afraid to go out and stick with whoever is leading. He doesn’t let other elite guys get in his head. He’s able to keep a good pace and always has a crazy finish.”

NC coach Jon Knight also praised Ado.

“He seems like he’s just willing to stick his head in there and go,” Knight said. “It’s hard to coach that.”

Ado trains twice a day. At 6 in the morning, Ado runs 4 miles before school. Then he runs anywhere from 8 to 13 miles at practice.

Ado, who remains fluent in Arabic and texts frequently to friends in Libya, wants to run in college. He also wants to be an airline pilot.

Considering how far he’s come running, nothing is probably impossible for Ado, who is grateful that he and his family landed safely in Spokane, escaping the civil unrest of Libya.