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Sep-29-2007
With Cautious Optimism, Gebrselassie Ready for Another WR Attempt in Berlin
by Bob Ramsak
(c) Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved
During a largely solo run a year ago at the real,-Berlin Marathon, Haile Gebrselassie challenged Paul Tergat's world record for just over 35 kilometers. But with the winds battering and temperatures rising over the final few kilometer, he was reminded again how truly challenging Tergat's performance is to surpass. Building upon that experience, Gebreselassie will be giving the record another go on Sunday morning over the streets of the German capital.
"The last five or six kilometers in last year's race were a big problem for me, they really hurt," Said Gebrselassie, whose 2:05:56 victory nonetheless lowered his own Ethiopian national record and thrust him into the event's all-time top-five. "That's why I've put more emphasis on stamina this time, but don't think I've lost any speed."
In his record run on the same course in 2003, Tergat had company --and a genuine race-- all the way to the finish line. He won in 2:04:55, just a second ahead of Sammy Korir, whose performance is still the second fastest ever.
"In 2006 I ran the last few kilometers on my own but it's important to have people to run against. Having an opponent makes you run that much harder and give everything you've got over those last kilometers."
The Ethiopian's chief opposition appears to be Kenyan Philip Manyim, the winner in 2005. But to remain competitive, Manyim admitted that he'll only be a factor if the first half doesn't transpire too quickly.
"I was in excellent shape when I won here in Berlin two years ago," said Manyim, whose 2:07:51 performance from that year remains his career best.
"My form right now is also pretty good, perhaps good enough to run a personal best. If the pace at the start isn't too fast, I could make Haile Gebrselassie take me seriously as a rival. In Paul Tergat's world record run the pace wasn't so fast at the start. It was only in the second half of the race that the tempo increased. If the race starts too fast on Sunday, I doubt if I'll be able to go with it."
But Manyim's fears will have to be realized for Gebrselassie to achieve his clearly stated objective. Race Director Mark Milde said that three pacemakers will assist through 30 kilometers, with another two helping those through the half way point, which they hope to reach in under 63 minutes.
The midway split last year was 1:02:46, and for Tergat, 1:03:01.
For his part, Gebrselassie is making no promises, other than that he'll simply try his best.
"It's never easy to say you'll run a world record," said Gebrselassie, who has set 23 world records or bests in his career, most recently for 20 kilometers and one hour on the track. "The difference between racing on the track for 10,000 meters, for example, compared to the marathon, is that on the track you have to deal with the other runners and the clock. With the marathon you have a third factor to cope with and that's the distance itself."
"I know all about doing that on the track," he continued. "But I've never set a world record in the marathon. That's the difference."
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