From a Health Team to a Mountain Community: The Story of CECTENA

CECTENA was born around 2016 out of a desire to help.

At the time, we were an Ethiopian community health team. My friend Lulit and I brought together healthcare professionals from our community and asked: How could we better reach and serve the Ethiopian community in Colorado?

Through meetings and conversations, we landed on education and awareness. We organized panel discussions to help people understand health issues and find information that could make a difference in their lives.

That work helped the Colorado Ethiopian community establish its own health team, with a lasting way to fund and run its own programs. We were proud. We had built something that could keep serving people beyond ourselves, and it taught me what I would carry into the next chapter: meaningful change begins when people come together around a shared purpose.

At the end of 2019, Lulit moved to Ethiopia and CECTENA was left in my hands. I had to decide whether to keep building or let it go.

Then the pandemic arrived, and life changed for everyone.

Personally, I struggled with depression and loneliness. I needed something to help me reconnect with myself and the world around me. I found it outdoors, often with my dog, Dinsa.

I started hiking and invited close friends and family to join me. I posted our activities on Facebook, which became our main way of connecting with the community. I also shared bike rides along one of my favorite routes, from downtown Denver to Cherry Creek Reservoir. They were simple invitations: get outside, move, and spend time together.

I wasn't trying to build a movement. I was looking for connection, and I wanted to share what was helping me.

Then our friend Fere asked me to organize a hike for some friends who wanted to join. We planned our first 14er, Mount Bierstadt, and more than 20 people showed up.

Wow. People wanted this.

During the pandemic, we ran a July cycling challenge that pushed many of us past our comfort zones. I usually rode about 500 miles in a year. That month I rode about 800, and our top participant reached around 1,200.

We discovered what happens when we set a goal, encourage one another, and commit to showing up. Gradually, our sense of what was possible changed. A 14er became a normal weekend. Rides of 50 to 80 miles became routine. We entered organized races and explored new trails.

The activities got bigger, but the real change was in our habits and mindset. We weren't just organizing events anymore. We were building a lifestyle together.

Since 2019, we've taken part in the Colfax Marathon, completing 5Ks, half marathons, and other marathon events, including the Vancouver Marathon. On the bike, we've done the 206-mile Seattle to Portland ride, the Denver Century, and the 80-mile Copper Triangle, among many others.

But one of the most important changes happened closer to home.

I began asking friends with children to think about the outdoor skills they were sharing with their kids. If we don't help our children learn to ride, run, hike, and ski, they may miss experiences their peers enjoy. I wanted outdoor activity to be a family tradition, not something reserved for people who happened to grow up with it.

And it worked. In 2025, more than 30 kids registered for their first 5K with CECTENA at the Colfax Marathon. Our youngest 14er hiker was seven years old.

These moments mean more to me than any mileage record.

I remember when many of us posted Facebook check-ins from 16th Street in downtown Denver. Today my feed is full of mountain adventures, long bike rides, races, and hikes, and I love seeing it.

I'm proud of that change, not because CECTENA can claim credit for anyone's adventure, but because we helped make these experiences more visible, welcoming, and accessible to people who might not otherwise have tried them.

You don't have to be an elite athlete. You don't have to start with a 14er, a century ride, or a marathon. Begin with a walk, a short run, or a ride with friends. Then, if you want, keep going.

Our monthly and year-round challenges, from running and cycling to elevation gain, keep us engaged and building healthy habits. The goal isn't to make everyone the same. It's to help each person discover what they can become.

Our roots are in the Ethiopian community in Colorado, and our trails are open to everyone. CECTENA brings together people from different backgrounds, experiences, and walks of life, and we make room for anyone who wants to participate and grow. On the trail, what we share matters more than what we don't.

For me, the outdoors has been much more than exercise. It has been a source of healing, support, friendship, and purpose. Getting outside helped me move past my own comfort zone, and I wanted others to have that chance too. So I want us to keep inspiring and mentoring our youth, helping families build active habits, and showing our community that the mountains are for everyone.

When CECTENA began, our guiding thought was: "Be the change you want to see in the world." We didn't want it to be just a quote. We wanted to live it.

We started by asking how we could help our community. Years later, we still ask, even as our activities have evolved. Today, CECTENA is a year-round outdoor community built around physical and mental wellness, youth development, cultural connection, and shared experiences.

The journey is still unfolding. There are more trails to explore, more miles to ride, more challenges to take on, and more people to welcome.

You don't need to know how to hike a mountain, run a 5K, or ride 80 miles to belong here. You only need to be willing to start where you are.

Come for a walk. Join a run. Try a hike. Bring your family. Encourage a friend.