Haile Gebrselassie lines up for the Great North Run

Jul 14 2010 by Mark Douglas, The Journal

Haile Gebrselassie will fulfil a decade-long promise when he lines up for the Great North Run in September, as he tells Mark Douglas

HAILE Gebrselassie is known as the ‘Emperor’, but the North East remains one territory the long-distance great is yet to conquer.

For all his 27 world records and 14 major championship medals, Gebrselassie has yet to celebrate victory in the world’s most iconic half-marathon, and it says much for the status of the Great North Run he considers that a significant gap in his stellar CV.

Flicking through a book commissioned to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the great event, Gebrselassie found himself marvelling at the great names who have triumphed over the undulating 13.1-mile course.

Now he says emulating the achievements of African compatriots Moses Tanui, Paul Kosgei and Paul Tergat will serve as the perfect motivation in the run-up to the “daddy of all the races”. Speaking at the launch of the race at the Great North Museum in Newcastle, Gebrselassie said: “My friend Brendan Foster gave me this book celebrating the race and it is the only book in running I do not have my name in.

“I was flicking through it today thinking ‘he won it’ and ‘Oh, he won it’ but my name was not there.

“Well I want it to be in the book of this great race – I want to be part of that history.

“Can I break the World Record for the half marathon? Well, I am dreaming of that.

“It is a fast course. It is not an easy mark to beat, so I am not sure but I will try.”

Securing the Ethiopian great is a significant coup for the Great North Run, but it is also the fulfillment of a decade-old promise he made to Foster.

Gebrselassie was meant to run in 2000 until an injury at the Sydney Olympics forced him out.

A hectic schedule of autumn marathons has prevented him from lining up at Spital Tongues for the past decade but, ever the gentleman, he was determined not to let his close friend down.

He added: “I have been planning to do the Great North Run for many years and this year was special because it is the 30th birthday.

“It is wonderful and great even as a race and a mass participation event. It is a race as an athlete you cannot miss in your career.

“I knew I had to run it before I stop competing seriously and while I still have a chance of winning it.

“I do hope I can win it because it has a long history.”

The race could not hope for a better figurehead as it enters its third decade. Gebrselassie remains as committed to his discipline as ever – rising at 5.30am six days a week to rack up 35km before most people have eaten breakfast.