Though he’s struggled lately, the former marathon-record holder isn’t finished yet.
One thing was made clear last weekend in Birmingham, England: Ethiopia’s Haile Gebrselassie is still capable of pulling off a win. He broke the tape at the inaugural Bupa Great Birmingham Run, a half marathon, in 1:01:29. Times have been tough as of late for the former world-record holder in the marathon who is now 38 years old. At last year’s ING New York City Marathon, Gebrselassie dropped out. And just last month in Berlin, he was a DNF in a race that ultimately went to Patrick Makau of Kenya who broke Gebrselassie’s world record.
In Sunday’s race in England, Gebrselassie proved victorious in a tactical affair that didn’t have him dropping the hammer until after the seven-mile mark. Qatar’s Essa Rashed was second in 1:02:28.
Abderrahime Bouramdane of Morocco was third.
Thanks to his win in Birmingham, England, Haile Gebrselassie is still a force to be reckoned with. Photo: Daily Mail
‘It was a fantastic race for me except for the wind and it was really hard between 11 and 12 miles,” Gebrselassie recalled. “This helps me in my preparations for next year’s Olympic Games where of course I still have to get the qualifying standard.” Read More on: Daily Mail
