Posted: March 16, 2006

Athletics: Haile Gebreselasie Sets A New 25 Km World Record, Or Did He?

By Ken Young (kcy@frontiernet.net) and Andy Milroy (AndyMilroy@blueyonder.co.uk)

At the Alphen (NED) 20K held on 12 Mar 2006, Haile Gebreselasie ran a 1:11:37 for 25 km, well under the fastest previously reported time of 1:12:45 set by Paul Kosgei (KEN) at the Berlin (GER) 25 km on 09 May 2004 (pending ratification by the ARRS). How can a runner set a record for 25 km in a 20 km race, you may ask. Well, if you are Gebreselasie, you simply tell the race director that you would prefer to run 25 km and he will set up a special race for you (the second special race for Gebreselasie this year, so far). Altho this is obviously more of a time trial than a race but so far, not proscribed by the rules relating to bona fide competition.

The 25 km "race" was started prior to the start of the 20 km race with a small group of pace makers plus Gebreselasie covering the additional 5 km over a two loop course before joining the 20 km course. A narrow passage way allowed Gebreselasie to pass by the mass of runners awaiting the start of the 20 km race. At the moment that Gebreselasie passed the start line for the 20 km race, the 20 km race was started. I.e., at the 5 km mark, Gebreselasie acquired a new set of pace makers.

What is the ARRS definition of bona fide competition?

3.1.1a A race must be held in fair (bona fide) competition.

i) It is forbidden for any competitor to receive an advantage over any other competitor.
ii) The race must be advertised in advance.
iii) Entry to the event should be open to all eligible, qualified competitors. Entry restrictions may be by qualifying performance, nationality, and or age/sex, clearly stated beforehand.
iv) All competitors of the same gender must start at the same time in a fair start

3.1.1b Women’s records must be set in women-only competition. This includes races that provide an early start for the elite women, provided that at no point during the race are any men runners within 50 meters of the woman record-claimant.

3.1.1c Women and men may compete together in races but such marks achieved by women shall not be considered for record status but rather will be considered as noteworthy performances.

3.1.1d It is forbidden for a non-competitor to pace a record claimant. This includes pacing by:

i) A runner not officially entered in the competition,
ii) A runner entered in the competition who does not start,
iii) A runner who runs non-competitively in order to pace the record claimant,
iv) A runner who has retired from the competition.

This special 25 km "race" was advertised in advance and set up as an invitational race. All the competitors are assumed to have started at the same time. In other words, all of the conditions of section 3.1.1a are met. Sections 3.1.1b and 3.1.1c are not relevant in this case. It is section 3.1.1d where the problem lies.

Gebreselasie was paced. There is no question of that. In this case, there were TWO sets of pace makers. The first set was entered in the same competition as Gebreselasie and started at the same time. However, the second set of pace makers was NOT entered in the same competition as Gebreselasie and did NOT start at the same time. The bottom line is that Gebreselasie was paced by runners not entered in the competition that Gebreselasie was part of.

One might be tempted to consider this as a minor and insignificant infraction, insufficient to invalidate the mark as a record. However, this strategy, if accepted, could be extended to provide a half marathon race in a marathon that would utilize the last half of the marathon course AND would be started just as the lead pack passed the starting line for the half marathon, thereby providing fresh pace makers for the second half of a marathon.

The key distinction is that the first type of pace maker (entered in the race and started at the start) is also a potential competitor, regardless of any proclamation that he/she is simply a pace maker. Such pace makers have gone on to win the competition that they were supposed to merely pace. Pace makers of the second type as above, cannot win the competition since they did not start at the start line for the competition, i.e., Salim Kipsang (KEN) was NOT a competitor in the 25 km since he did not start at the start of the 25 km and did not run the full 25 km course. And yet, in this case, he clearly paced Gebreselasie for part of the 25 km race. The only conclusion is that the 25 km race violates the rule on bona fide competition and marks from this "race" should not be recognized as legitimate.

The second question is how this affects the 20 km race. If Gebreselasie was paced by Salim Kipsang, then couldn't one equally argue that Kipsang was paced by Gebreselasie? In track races, a case in which a lapped runner then proceeded to pace a teammate have resulted in disqualifications for BOTH the paced runner and the pacer (lapped runner). This would argue that Salim Kipsang also be disqualified. Since 2nd place in the 20 km race was well back of the winner, it seems unlikely that any other runners would have benefited from the pacing, i.e., those marks should be allowed. However, ALL of the 25 km runners benefited from pacing available by runners in the 20K and hence, none of the 25 km marks should be considered for records or rankings.

Yes, this will result in e-mails protesting this policy, claiming that races have the right to decide who is disqualified in their own races. However, when the rules of competition are clearly violated and the violations are ignored by the race organization, it is necessary to point this out in the strongest available terms. When some races are allowed to violate the rules to gain an advantage in having a record set, it penalizes those races that do follow the rules. Either we have a sport that has rules that everyone abides by or we have a circus in which anything goes.

Source: The Analytical Distance Runner.

(c) Copyright 2006 Association of Road Racing Statisticians, all rights reserved. May not be reprinted or retransmitted without permission.

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