Posted: June 6, 2006

Athletics: Gebrselassie To Run Berlin Marathon

From David Monti

© 2006 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved RaceResultsWeekly.com

Haile Gebrselassie, the charismatic Ethiopian Olympic gold medalist, has decided to run his next marathon on the flat and fast course of the real,- Berlin Marathon, race director Mark Milde announced this morning.

"We surely made a special coup by signing Haile Gebrselassie," said Milde in a press release. "And we are happy that Haile, who is one of the best long distance runners of all times, decided to come to the real,- Berlin Marathon."

It is no secret that Gebrselassie wants to break Paul Tergat's world marathon record of 2:04:55 which was also set at Berlin in 2003, but he has yet to come close to that mark in three attempts. At his marathon debut in London in 2002, Gebrselassie finished third in 2:06:35 behind American Khalid Khannouchi and Tergat in one of the greatest marathons of all-time. Gebrselassie moved his focus back to the track in 2003, earning a silver medal at the IAAF World Championships in Athletics at 10,000m, and finishing fifth over the same distance at the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004. Gebrselassie did not return to the marathon again until October, 2004 in Amsterdam when, in a solo effort, he clocked 2:06:20, citing windy conditions for thwarting his efforts to better Tergat's record. Then, at the Flora London Marathon last April, Gebrselassie finished a disappointing ninth in 2:09:05, plagued by hamstring troubles which were exacerbated by the wet and slippery roadway.

"I tried, and tried, and tried," he said in London after his race. "Especially the last 3-K it was not me."

At Berlin, Gebrselassie will be flanked by a group of pacemakers and will probably have his best chance to set the elusive world record and earn the 25 points given to each event winner in the World Marathon Majors.

The 33rd real,- Berlin Marathon will be held on Sunday, September 24.

Comment on this story.

Subscribe to the Runner's Web Weekly Digest