Gebrselassie continues to reign in Berlin

Athletics legend, Haile Gebrselassie, won the Berlin marathon for the fourth straight year on Sunday. He, however, failed to break his own world record after fading in the warm weather towards the end of the race.

Gebrselassie clocked a time of two hours, six minutes and eight seconds, well outside the blistering record of 2:03:59 he set in the same city in 2008.

Kenyan Francis Kiprop was second, almost a minute later, and Ethiopian Negari Terfa came in third.

“My pace was perfect. I was in record breaking pace until kilometre 33,” said Gebrselassie, who set an unofficial world record for the 30km with 1:27:49.

“I felt good, but then it got warmer and then I don’t know, I went to unknown (territory). If you accept the 30km world record, it’s not bad. It’s good for my collection,” the Ethiopian said with a grin.

World Record

Gebrselassie, who also broke the then world record in Berlin in 2007, and challenger Duncan Kibet, the second fastest man over the distance, set off at a quick pace.

With a group of high quality pacemakers including Luke Kibet, who won the marathon gold medal at the Osaka 2007 World athletics championships, Gebrselassie shook off Kibet at the 20km mark before the Kenyan dropped out.

But as the temperature climbed to around 20 degrees Celsius, the 36-year-old, who ran sub-three-minute times for all but one kilometre until the 35th, started to struggle.

Warm weather

“This was not marathon weather. I am okay but in the last few kilometres I was very tired,” he said.

“The problem started after kilometre 33. Maybe I pushed too much. I was trying to push but during the last five kilometres I was tired and I could not push anymore,” added Gebrselassie.

Gebrselassie has twice won Olympic gold over 10,000m and won four consecutive world athletics championships gold medals over the distance.

Fellow Ethiopian, Atsede Habtamu Besuye, won the women’s race in a time of 2:24:47.