Haile Gebrselassie
Encyclopedia
Haile Gebrselassie is an Ethiopian
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...

 long-distance track
Long-distance track event
Long-distance track event races require runners to balance their energy. These types of races are predominantly aerobic in nature and at the highest level, exceptional levels of aerobic endurance is required more than anything else...

 and road running
Road running
Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road . These events would be classified as long distance according to athletics terminology, with distances typically ranging from 5 kilometers to 42.2 kilometers in the marathon. They may involve large numbers of runners...

 athlete. He won two Olympic gold medals over 10,000 metres and four World Championship titles in the event. He won the Berlin Marathon
Berlin Marathon
The Berlin Marathon is a major running and sporting event held annually in Berlin, Germany. The official marathon distance of 42.195 kilometers is set up as a city-wide road race where professional athletes and amateur runners jointly participate...

 four times consecutively and also had three straight wins at the Dubai Marathon
Dubai Marathon
The Dubai Marathon is an annual marathon running race held in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.The race is held in January each year, the first being run on 14 January 2000...

. Further to this, he won four world titles indoors and was the 2001 World Half Marathon Champion
IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
The IAAF World Half Marathon Championships is an annual half marathon competition organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations. It was contested from 1992 to 2005, and replaced by the IAAF World Road Running Championships, a 20 kilometres race which had its inaugural...

.

Gebrselassie had major competition wins at distances between 1500 metres
1500 metres
The 1,500-metre run is the premier middle distance track event.Aerobic endurance is the biggest factor contributing to success in the 1500 metres but the athlete also requires significant sprint speed.In modern times, the 1,500-metre run has been run at a pace faster than the average person could...

 and the marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...

, moving from outdoor, indoor and cross country running to road running in the latter part of his career. He broke 61 Ethiopian National Records ranging from 800 meters to the marathon, set 27 world records, and is widely considered one of the greatest distance runners in history.

In September 2008, at the age of 35, he won the Berlin Marathon
Berlin Marathon
The Berlin Marathon is a major running and sporting event held annually in Berlin, Germany. The official marathon distance of 42.195 kilometers is set up as a city-wide road race where professional athletes and amateur runners jointly participate...

 with a
world record time of 2:03:59, breaking his own world record by 27 seconds. The record stood for three years. Since he was over the age of 35, that mark still stands as the Masters Age group world record
Masters Athletics World Records
These are the current world records in the various age groups of Masters athletics. Starting at age 35, each age group starts on the athlete's birthday in years that are evenly divisible by 5 and extends until the next such occurrence. For record purposes, older athletes are not included in...

.

Early career

Gebrselassie was born as one of ten children in Asella
Asella
Asella also Asela is a city in central Ethiopia. Located in the Arsi Zone of the Oromia Region about 175 kilometers from Addis Ababa, this city has a latitude and longitude of , with an elevation of 2430 meters. Asella hosts an airport...

, Arsi Province
Arsi Province
Arsi was a province of Ethiopia with its capital at Asella. The province was reduced to a Zone of the Oromia Region with the adoption of the new constitution in 1995....

, Ethiopia. As a child growing up on a farm he used to run ten kilometres to school every morning, and the same back every evening. This led to a distinctive running posture, with his left arm crooked as if still holding his schoolbooks.

Gebrselassie gained international recognition in 1992 when he won the 5000-metre and 10,000-metre races at the 1992 Junior World Championships
1992 World Junior Championships in Athletics
The 1992 World Junior Championships in Athletics was the fourth edition of the international athletics competition for athletes aged 19 years or under. It was held in Seoul, South Korea from September 16 to September 20, 1992.-Men:-Women:-Medal table:...

 in Seoul, and a silver medal in the junior race at the World Cross Country Championships.

The next year, in 1993, Gebrselassie won the first of what would eventually be four consecutive world championships titles in the men's 10,000 metres at the 1993
1993 World Championships in Athletics
The 4th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held in the Gottlieb Daimler Stadium, Stuttgart, Germany between August 13 and August 22 with the participation of 187 nations....

, 1995
1995 World Championships in Athletics
The 5th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Ullevi Stadium, Gothenburg, Sweden between August 5 and August 13.This edition featured 1804 athletes from 191 nations....

, 1997
1997 World Championships in Athletics
The 6th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece between August 1 and August 10, 1997. In this event participated 1882 athletes from 198 participant nations...

, and 1999
1999 World Championships in Athletics
The 7th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Estadio Olímpico, Seville, Spain, between the August 20 and August 29....

 World Championships. At the 1993 World Championships
1993 World Championships in Athletics
The 4th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held in the Gottlieb Daimler Stadium, Stuttgart, Germany between August 13 and August 22 with the participation of 187 nations....

, he also ran in the 5,000-metre race to finish a close second behind Ismael Kirui
Ismael Kirui
Ismael Kirui is a former Kenyan long distance runner who won gold medals over 5000 metres at the 1993 and 1995 World Championships in Athletics....

 of Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...

. In 1994 he won a bronze medal at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships
1994 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
The 22nd IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held on March 26, 1994 in Budapest, Hungary.- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- External links :**...

. Later that year he set his first world record by running a 12:56.96 in the 5,000-metres, breaking Saïd Aouita
Said Aouita
Saïd Aouita is a former Moroccan athlete, winner of 5000 meters at the 1984 Summer Olympics, 5000 meters at the 1987 World Championships in Athletics, 3000 meters at the 1989 IAAF World Indoor Championships, and former world record holder at 1500m , 2000m , 3000m , and twice at 5000m [ and ]...

's record by two seconds.
In 1995, Gebrselassie ran the 10,000-metres in 26:43.53 in Hengelo
Hengelo
Hengelo is a municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands, in the province of Overijssel. The city lies along the motorways A1/E30 and A35 and it has a station for the International Amsterdam – Hannover – Berlin service.-Traffic and transport:...

, Netherlands, lowering the world record by a full nine seconds. That same summer, in Zürich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...

, Switzerland, Gebrselassie ran the 5000 metres in 12:44.39, ripping an astonishing 10.91 seconds off the world record 12:55.30 (established by Kenya's Moses Kiptanui
Moses Kiptanui
Moses Kiptanui is a middle and long distance athlete mostly famous for 3,000 m steeplechase in which he was the number one ranked athlete from 1991 to 1995 and three time IAAF World Champion...

 earlier in the year). This world record at the Weltklasse meet in Zürich
Weltklasse Zürich
Weltklasse Zürich is an annual track and field meeting at the Letzigrund in Zurich, Switzerland. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it is now part of the IAAF Diamond League. One of the first large-scale international athletics events , it is sometimes referred to as the one day...

 was voted "Performance of the Year" for 1995 by Track & Field News
Track & Field News
Track & Field News is a magazine founded in 1948 by brothers Bert Nelson & Cordner Nelson, focused on the world of track and field.The magazine provides coverage of athletics in the U.S.A. from the high school to national level as well as covering the sport on an international bases. The magazine...

 magazine. At the same Weltklasse meet in Zürich in 1996, an exhausted Gebrselassie, suffering from blisters obtained on the hard track in Atlanta (where he had won the Olympic 10,000 metres gold), had no answer to the 58-second lap of Daniel Komen
Daniel Komen
Daniel Kipngetich Komen is a Kenyan middle- and long-distance runner. Remembered for his rivalry with Haile Gebrselassie, Komen's most notable achievements came in a two-year period between 1996 and 1998, during which he broke a string of world records...

 with five laps to go as Komen went on to win and just miss Gebrselassie's record, finishing in 12:45.09. In 1997, Gebrselassie turned the tables on Komen at the same meet. Coming off his third 10K world championship gold medal, Gebrselassie beat Komen in another Zürich classic on , 1997, covering the final 200 metres in 26.8 seconds to break his 5,000 metres world record with a time of 12:41.86. Komen, in turn, took Gebrselassie's record only nine days later when Komen ran a 12:39.74 performance in Belgium.

Middle career

The next year, 1998, saw Gebrselassie lowering the indoor world records for 2,000 and 3,000 metres, enjoying success outdoors by taking back both the 5,000 and 10,000 metres world records, as well as earning a share in the Golden League jackpot for winning all of his races in the Golden League series that summer. In , in Hengelo
Hengelo
Hengelo is a municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands, in the province of Overijssel. The city lies along the motorways A1/E30 and A35 and it has a station for the International Amsterdam – Hannover – Berlin service.-Traffic and transport:...

, Netherlands, Gebrselassie set a 10,000 metres world record 26:22.75, breaking Paul Tergat
Paul Tergat
Paul Kibii Tergat is a Kenyan professional long distance runner. He held the world record in the marathon from 2003 to 2007, with a time of 2:04:55, and is regarded as one of the most accomplished long-distance runners of all time.Now concentrating exclusively on the marathon, Tergat won many...

's world record 26:27.85, running evenly paced 13:11/13:11 5K splits.

Just 13 days later, Gebrselassie took on the 5,000 metres mark of Komen in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...

, Finland. Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...

n pacemaker Branko Zorko
Branko Zorko
Branko Zorko is a Croatian middle distance runner, a notable 1500 m competitor in the 1990s. Probably his biggest accomplishment is winning the first international medal for the country of Croatia, winning a bronze medal at the 1992 European Indoor Athletics Championships...

 took the pace out slowly, hitting 1000 metres in 2:33.91 and dropping out at the mile. Million Wolde and Assefa Mezgebu
Assefa Mezgebu
Assefa Mezgebu is a retired Ethiopian long-distance runner, most known for winning a bronze medal in the 10,000 metres event at the 2000 Summer Olympics...

 led Gebrselassie through 2,000 metres in 5:05.62. His pacemakers could not maintain the pace, though, and Gebrselassie was left alone for a difficult solo effort six laps out. Hitting 3,000 metres in 7:38.93, even the British commentators announcing the race counted him out. With four laps to go (8:40.00), Gebrselassie needed a sub-4 minute final 1,600 metres for the record. With one lap to go and in great pain, Gebrselassie took off, recording a final lap of 56.77 seconds and a final 1,600 metres of 3:59.36 (= 4:00.96 mile) to race to a 12:39.36 world record.

In 1999, Gebrselassie starred as himself in the movie Endurance
Endurance (film)
Endurance is a docudrama about the famous distance runner Haile Gebrselassie with Gebrselassie playing the role of himself.It was written and directed by Leslie Woodhead and Bud Greenspan, and produced and released by The Walt Disney Company...

. The film chronicled his quest to win Olympic gold in the 10,000 metres in Atlanta. On the track, he won a 1500/3000 metres double at the World Indoor Track Championships, defended his Outdoor World Track Championships 10,000 metres title, and remained undefeated in all his races (which ranged from the 1,500 up to 10,000 metres).
In 2000, Gebrselassie again won all of his races, ranking first in the world yet again in both the 5,000 and 10,000 metres. At the 2000 Sydney Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...

, he became the third man in history to successfully defend an Olympic 10,000 metres title (after Emil Zátopek
Emil Zátopek
Emil Zátopek was a Czech long-distance runner best known for winning three gold medals at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. He won gold in the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres runs, but his final medal came when he decided at the last minute to compete in the first marathon of his life...

 and Lasse Virén
Lasse Virén
Lasse Artturi Virén is a former Finnish long-distance runner, winner of four gold medals at the 1972 and 1976 Summer Olympics...

). The narrow Olympic victory over Kenya's Paul Tergat
Paul Tergat
Paul Kibii Tergat is a Kenyan professional long distance runner. He held the world record in the marathon from 2003 to 2007, with a time of 2:04:55, and is regarded as one of the most accomplished long-distance runners of all time.Now concentrating exclusively on the marathon, Tergat won many...

 came down to a blistering final kick, with Tergat's 26.3 second final 200 metres being topped by Gebrselassie's even faster 25.4. The winning margin of victory was only 0.09 seconds, closer than the winning margin in the men's 100 metre dash final.

In 2001, Gebrselassie won the IAAF World half marathon
2001 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
The 10th IAAF World Half Marathon Championships was held on October 7, 2001 in the city of Bristol, UK, and was run simultaneously with that year's Bristol Half Marathon. A total of 200 athletes, 125 men and 75 women, from 52 countries took part.-Individual:...

 and the bronze medal in the 10,000 metres at the 2001 World Championships in Athletics
2001 World Championships in Athletics
The 8th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada between 3 August and 12 August and was the first time the event had visited North America...

. In the same year, he also worked with Peter Middlebrook
Peter Middlebrook
Dr. Peter J. Middlebrook is the Managing Director of Geopolicity Inc., and an English political economist/Political Scientist and Emerging Markets expert specializing in fragile states, international relations and the development of Transition economies...

 and Abi Masefield he conceptualized the Great Ethiopian Run
Great Ethiopian Run
The Great Ethiopian Run is an annual 10-kilometre road running event which takes place in late November in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.The competition was first envisioned by neighbors Ethiopian runner Haile Gebrselassie, Peter Middlebrook and Abi Masefield in late October 2000, following Haile's return...

, which was latterly supported by Brendan Foster
Brendan Foster
Brendan Foster CBE is a British former distance runner, entrepreneur and the founder of the Great North Run. He won the Bronze medal in the 10,000 metres at the 1976 Summer Olympics...

, British runner Richard Nerurkar the British ambassador to Ethiopia Myles Wickstead.

On 30 August 2003, Gebrselassie topped the polls when elected as a member of the IAAF Athletes Commission. Also in 2003, at the World Championships in Paris, Gebrselassie was involved in one of the most remarkable 10,000 metres races of all time while gaining a silver medal behind countryman and protégé Kenenisa Bekele
Kenenisa Bekele
Kenenisa Bekele is an Ethiopian long-distance runner, who holds the world record and Olympic record in both the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres events...

. The last half of the 10,000 metres final at the championships was completed in a staggering 12:57.24 (12:57.2 for Bekele and 12:58.8 for Gebrselassie). According to the IAAF, "Not only was this split the fastest closing 5,000 metres in the championships 10,000m (the previous record was 13:12.12, recorded in Atlanta), but it was also the fastest 5,000 metres in a global championships surpassing the 12:58.13 Salah Hissou
Salah Hissou
Salah Hissou is a long-distance runner from Morocco, who won the gold medal over 5000 m at the 1999 World Championships in Athletics in Seville. With 26:38.08 he also set a world record over 10,000 m in Brussels in 1996 and won a bronze medal over 10,000 m at the 1996 Summer Olympics in...

 recorded when he won the 5,000m in Sevilla'99." (This remark remained true until a week later when the World Athletic Championships 5,000 metres medalists (including Bekele) all ran faster than the second 5,000 metres split in the previous week's 10,000 metres.) "The difference between the closing 5,000 metres splits (12:57.24) and the 5,000 metres World record (12:39.36) was 17.98 seconds, which is a record. The previous best of 18.4 seconds (13:31.4 for the closing 5,000 metres when the World Record was 13:13.0) was recorded in the 1976 Olympics."

In the 2004 Athens Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...

, Gebrselassie sought to become the first man in history to win three straight Olympic gold medals in the 10,000 metres. He was unable to do so, however, he finished fifth in a race won by his compatriot Kenenisa Bekele, who had broken both of Gebrselassie's major track world records, the 5,000 metres and the 10,000 metres records. Shortly before the Athens games, Gebrselassie was unable to train for three weeks due to inflammation of his Achilles tendon
Achilles tendon
The Achilles tendon , also known as the calcaneal tendon or the tendo calcaneus, is a tendon of the posterior leg. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius and soleus muscles to the calcaneus bone.- Anatomy :The Achilles is the tendonous extension of 3 muscles in the lower leg:...

. The injury was severe enough that he would not have competed otherwise, but did so because of significant pressure from his country. This loss of the final period of training likely cost him a medal.

Later career

Since leaving the track after the 2004 Olympics, Gebrselassie has focused on road racing and the marathon. His adult marathons to date include London 2002 (3rd place), Amsterdam 2005 (1st place), London 2006 (9th place), Berlin 2006 (1st place), Fukuoka 2006 (1st place), London 2007 (dnf), Berlin 2007 (1st place and World Record), Dubai 2008 (1st place), Berlin 2008 (1st place and another World Record), Dubai 2009 (1st place) Berlin 2009 (1st place), Dubai 2010 (1st place), and NYC 2010 (dnf).

In 2002, Gebrselassie made his debut at the marathon at the London Marathon
London Marathon
The London Marathon is one of the biggest running events in the world, and one of the five top world marathons that make up the World Marathon Majors competition, which has a $1 million prize purse. It has been held each spring in London since 1981. The race is currently sponsored by Virgin Money,...

. He started the race with a very fast pace, within world record time. He was unable to hold it, however, as world record holder Khalid Khannouchi
Khalid Khannouchi
Khalid Khannouchi is a Moroccan American marathoner. He was born in Meknes, Morocco. He is the former world record holder for the marathon and held the former road world best for the 20 km distance. He is one of only five men to break the marathon world record more than once, and one of only four...

 and Paul Tergat
Paul Tergat
Paul Kibii Tergat is a Kenyan professional long distance runner. He held the world record in the marathon from 2003 to 2007, with a time of 2:04:55, and is regarded as one of the most accomplished long-distance runners of all time.Now concentrating exclusively on the marathon, Tergat won many...

 both eventually passed him. Khannouchi broke his own world record, while Gebrselassie finished third.

In 2005 Gebrselassie went undefeated in all of his road races. This included a British All-Comers record in the 10K at Manchester (27:25), a win in the Amsterdam Marathon
Amsterdam Marathon
The Amsterdam Marathon is an annual marathon race over the classic distance of 42.195km held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands since 1975. It is one of the top ten marathons in the world.-History:...

 in the fastest marathon time in the world for 2006 (2:06:20), and a new world best for 10 miles in Tilburg Ten Miles
Tilburg Ten Miles
Tilburg Ten Miles is an annual road running competition held in Tilburg, The Netherlands since 1988. Despite its name, it is a 10-miles competition only for men, while the women's competition is nowadays held over 10 kilometres. Since 2002 the competition has been held early September, previous...

 race, The Netherlands (44:24). (His unofficial split of 41:22 at the 15K mark was 7 seconds faster than the official world best.)

Gebrselassie started 2006 positively by beating the world half marathon
Half marathon
A half marathon is a road running event of . It is half the distance of a marathon and usually run on roads. Participation in half marathons has grown steadily recently. One of the main reasons for this is that it is a challenging distance, but does not require the same level of training that a...

 record by a full 21 seconds, recording a time of 58 minutes and 55 seconds on . He broke the record, his first one on American soil, by running the half marathon of the Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon
Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon
The Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon is a marathon and half-marathon race, held annually in Arizona on the Sunday before Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and linking three cities of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area: . Like the original Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in San Diego, it is organised by Competitor Group,...

. During the race he also broke Paul Tergat's 20 km record, both records having stood since 1998. (Gebrselassie passed the 20 km mark in 55:48.) That year also marked another victory for Gebrselassie as he shattered the 25 km world road record (albeit in non-IAAF ratified fashion) by 68 seconds in a time of 1:11.37. The race was organized where Gebrselassie and six other runners would run 5 kilometres and then cross the starting line of the 20-K Alphen race in Alphen aan den Rijn
Alphen aan den Rijn
Alphen aan den Rijn is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland, between Leiden and Utrecht. The town is situated on the banks of the river Oude Rijn , where the river Gouwe branches off. The municipality had a population of 72,674 in 2010, and covers an...

 of the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

.

On 23 April 2006, he finished ninth in the London Marathon
London Marathon
The London Marathon is one of the biggest running events in the world, and one of the five top world marathons that make up the World Marathon Majors competition, which has a $1 million prize purse. It has been held each spring in London since 1981. The race is currently sponsored by Virgin Money,...

 with a time of 2:09:05 (the race was won by Kenyan Felix Limo
Felix Limo
Felix Limo is a Kenyan long-distance runner, who specializes in the marathon.Limo held the 15 Kilometres road running world record from November 2001 to November 2010, where he lost the record to Leonard Komon. Limo set his record of 41:29 minutes in Nijmegen, the Netherlands when winning the...

, who clocked 2:06:39). Gebrselassie referred to the ninth-place finish as "the worst race of my career". However, on he came back with a win in the Berlin Marathon
Berlin Marathon
The Berlin Marathon is a major running and sporting event held annually in Berlin, Germany. The official marathon distance of 42.195 kilometers is set up as a city-wide road race where professional athletes and amateur runners jointly participate...

 in the fastest time of the year, 2:05:56. His time in Berlin made him only the fifth man in history to run under 2:06 for the marathon. This was followed by a win in the Fukuoka Marathon
Fukuoka Marathon
The , held in Fukuoka, Japan, is an international men's marathon race established in 1947. It is usually held on the first Sunday in December.The course record is held by Tsegaye Kebede of Ethiopia, running 2:05:18 in 2009 to best his own record from the previous year.-Men's winners:Winners of the...

 in Japan in 2:06:52.

In London on 22 April 2007, Gebrselassie challenged the 2006 London Marathon winner Felix Limo
Felix Limo
Felix Limo is a Kenyan long-distance runner, who specializes in the marathon.Limo held the 15 Kilometres road running world record from November 2001 to November 2010, where he lost the record to Leonard Komon. Limo set his record of 41:29 minutes in Nijmegen, the Netherlands when winning the...

, 2005 London Marathon winner Martin Lel
Martin Lel
Martin Kiptolo Lel is a Kenyan long distance and marathon runner. He won the London Marathon in 2005, 2007, and 2008, the New York City Marathon in 2003 and 2007 and the Great North Run in 2007 and 2009. His personal best time, , is 2:05:15, which he ran in the 2008 London Marathon setting a...

, 2004 Athens gold medalist Stefano Baldini
Stefano Baldini
Stefano Baldini is a retired Italian athlete and the 2004 Olympic and former European champion in the marathon....

, 2006 New York Marathon winner Marílson Gomes dos Santos
Marílson Gomes dos Santos
Marílson Gomes dos Santos is a Brazilian long-distance runner and winner of the 2006 and 2008 New York City Marathon, with times of 2:09:58 and 2:08:43, respectively...

, and the then marathon world record holder Paul Tergat
Paul Tergat
Paul Kibii Tergat is a Kenyan professional long distance runner. He held the world record in the marathon from 2003 to 2007, with a time of 2:04:55, and is regarded as one of the most accomplished long-distance runners of all time.Now concentrating exclusively on the marathon, Tergat won many...

 in what organizers anticipated would be an exciting race. However Gebrselassie dropped out at the 18 miles (29 km) stage complaining of a stitch
Side stitch
A side stitch is an intense stabbing pain under the lower edge of the ribcage that occurs while exercising. It is also referred to as exercise related transient abdominal pain...

 and inability to breathe, which turned out to be an allergic reaction to the pollen in the air. This left the 2005 winner Martin Lel
Martin Lel
Martin Kiptolo Lel is a Kenyan long distance and marathon runner. He won the London Marathon in 2005, 2007, and 2008, the New York City Marathon in 2003 and 2007 and the Great North Run in 2007 and 2009. His personal best time, , is 2:05:15, which he ran in the 2008 London Marathon setting a...

 to come home in first place.

One month later, Gebrselassie made a surprise return to the track for the first of two stadium races that summer. In the first, he ran a 26:52.81 in finishing fifth in a very competitive 10,000 metres race in Hengelo
Hengelo
Hengelo is a municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands, in the province of Overijssel. The city lies along the motorways A1/E30 and A35 and it has a station for the International Amsterdam – Hannover – Berlin service.-Traffic and transport:...

, The Netherlands. Then, on , 2007, Gebrselassie launched an attack upon the world record for the one hour run
Hour run
The one hour run is an athletics event in which competitors try to cover as much distance as possible within one hour. While officially recognized by the International Association of Athletics Federations as a track event, it is rarely contested apart from occasional world record attempts.The event...

, in Ostrava
Ostrava
Ostrava is the third largest city in the Czech Republic and the second largest urban agglomeration after Prague. Located close to the Polish border, it is also the administrative center of the Moravian-Silesian Region and of the Municipality with Extended Competence. Ostrava was candidate for the...

, Czech Republic. This record attempt was successful as Gebrselassie passed the hour mark at (13 miles 397 yards), eclipsing the previous best of , set by Mexican Arturo Barrios
Arturo Barrios
Arturo Barrios Flores is a Mexican long-distance runner. He was born in Ciudad de México, Distrito Federal. Barrios finished in fifth place in the 10000 metres at the 1988 Summer Olympics. He is a former world record holder at 10000 m...

 in La Flèche
La Flèche
La Flèche is a municipality located in the French department of Sarthe and the region of Pays de la Loire in the Loire Valley. This is the sub-prefecture of the South-Sarthe, the chief district and the chief city of a canton. This is the second most populous city of the department. The city is part...

, France, on , 1991. Furthermore, Gebrselassie covered 50 laps in 56:25.98, another world best, well within the previous 56:55.6 also set by Barrios in 1991. These were his 23rd and 24th world records.

Gebrselassie made his running debut in New York City when he won the New York City Half Marathon
New York City Half Marathon
The New York City Half Marathon is an annual half marathon road running race. It passes through famous landmarks such as Central Park and Times Square. The 5th annual race took place on March 21, 2010, with 11,604 finishers and victories by Peter Kamais and Mara Yamauchi...

 on , 2007, in 59:24, breaking the previous course record by two minutes. His win in the Lisbon Half Marathon
Lisbon Half Marathon
First held in 1991, the race has consistently delivered fast winning times. However, many of these times have been unratifiable for record purposes due to factors including: the course being too short , excessive tailwinds, as well as there being an excessive drop in altitude, which boosted...

 (59:15) in gave him a perfect record of 9–0 in winning all of his half marathons. He lost his first half marathon in Den Haag ( 2009), when he was beaten by Sammy Kitwara
Sammy Kitwara
Sammy Kirop Kitwara is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specialises in road running events. He is coached by Moses Kiptanui....

 (59:47 for Kitwara, 59:50 for Haile)
On 30 September 2007, Gebrselassie won the Berlin Marathon
Berlin Marathon
The Berlin Marathon is a major running and sporting event held annually in Berlin, Germany. The official marathon distance of 42.195 kilometers is set up as a city-wide road race where professional athletes and amateur runners jointly participate...

 in 2:04:26 (4:44.8 per mile), setting the world record and shaving 29 seconds off Paul Tergat
Paul Tergat
Paul Kibii Tergat is a Kenyan professional long distance runner. He held the world record in the marathon from 2003 to 2007, with a time of 2:04:55, and is regarded as one of the most accomplished long-distance runners of all time.Now concentrating exclusively on the marathon, Tergat won many...

's record, set on the same course in 2003. His victory further energized the celebrations of the Ethiopian Millennium (unique to the Ethiopian calendar
Ethiopian calendar
The Ethiopian calendar , also called the Ge'ez calendar, is the principal calendar used in Ethiopia and also serves as the liturgical calendar for Christians in Eritrea belonging to the Eritrean Orthodox Church, Eastern Catholic Church and Lutheran Evangelical Church of Eritrea...

), which began on , 2007.

Prior to the 2008 Dubai Marathon
Dubai Marathon
The Dubai Marathon is an annual marathon running race held in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.The race is held in January each year, the first being run on 14 January 2000...

, his manager suggested that Gebrselassie would be able to run a sub 2:04 time for a new world record. While Gebrselassie agreed that a sub 2:04 was possible, he stated that the conditions would need to be perfect for such a time. The event was held on , 2008, and was won by Gebrselassie in a time of 2:04:53, making it the second fastest marathon in history. However the early pace had been too fast and he was unable to continue at that speed, resulting in a time 27 seconds short of his own world record.

At the Hengelo FBK-Games on 24 May, Gebrselassie ran 26:51.20 for the 10,000 meters to finish a close second behind countryman Sileshi Sihine
Sileshi Sihine
Sileshi Sihine is an Ethiopian long-distance runner.Sihine achieved a silver medal in the 10,000 metres at the 2004 Athens Olympics and the 2008 Beijing Olympics as well as at the 2005 World Championships and 2007 World Championships as well as a bronze medal in 2003...

's 26:50.53. Along with his 10,000 meter performances in 2003, 2004, and 2007, Gebrselassie is the only man older than 30 years of age to break 27 minutes in the 10,000 metres; his nine career sub 27 minute 10,000 meter performances is more than any other athlete except for Kenenisa Bekele, who also has nine.

Because of Beijing's air pollution levels, Gebrselassie decided to withdraw from the marathon
Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics - Men's marathon
The following new Olympic record was set during this competition.-Results:Key: = Olympic record, SB = Season Best, PB = Personal Best, DNF = Did Not Finish, DNS = Did Not Start-Intermediates:s.t. - same time.- External links :...

 at the 2008 Beijing Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...

. He suffers from asthma
Asthma
Asthma is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath...

 and said that running in such conditions might be harmful for his health. Gebrselassie later admitted that he regretted the decision as the Beijing air was cleaner than expected. He did, however, run the 10,000 meters
Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics - Men's 10000 metres
The following new Olympic record was set during this competition.-Results:OR - Olympic Record, NR - National Record, PB - Personal Best, SB - Season Best-Splits:...

, finishing sixth with a time of 27:06.68. The gold medal went to his countryman and current world record holder, Kenenisa Bekele
Kenenisa Bekele
Kenenisa Bekele is an Ethiopian long-distance runner, who holds the world record and Olympic record in both the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres events...

.
The following month, on 28 September 2008, he defended his Berlin Marathon title, averaging 2:56.5 per kilometer (4:43.7 per mile) for a time of 2:03:59, breaking his own world record by 27 seconds.
Gebrselassie won the Dubai Marathon on , 2009, but fell short of breaking his own world record that he had set four months earlier on the flat course. He finished in 2:05:29, well ahead of countryman Deressa Chimsa. In September that year, he won the Berlin Marathon for the fourth consecutive time. He attempted to break the world record he had set the previous year but, despite a quick start, warm conditions saw him finish in 2:06:08, two minutes away from his best mark. He did, however, pass the 30-kilometer point in 1:27:49, which is a new world record for a road 30K.

In 2010 he tried to attack his own world record for the third consecutive time at the Dubai Marathon 2010. Although he won the race with a time of 2:06:09, he failed to break his 18-month world record. In a post-race interview he revealed that he had suffered back pain, requiring intensive pre-race physiotherapy, resulting from having slept in a bad position. His problems continued at the NYC Half Marathon, where he pulled up mid-race visibly uncomfortable in his running. He had an easy victory in the inaugural edition of the 10K de Madrid in April. He scored his third victory at the Great Manchester Run the following month, although he missed out on Micah Kogo's course record. He followed this with his first win at the Great North Run
Great North Run
The Bupa Great North Run is the world's largest half marathon, taking place annually each September. Participants run between Newcastle upon Tyne and South Shields in England. The run was devised by former Olympic 10,000 m bronze medallist and BBC Sport commentator Brendan Foster.The first Great...

 in September, finishing the half marathon in a time of 59:33 minutes.

He is also mentor and ambassador for the G4S 4teen, a programme supporting 14 young athletes.

Flirtation with retirement

On 7 November, after dropping out of the 2010 New York City Marathon
2010 New York City Marathon
The 41st New York City Marathon took place on Sunday , 2010. Sponsored by ING, the competition was the fifth World Marathon Major of 2010 and an IAAF Gold Label Road Race. A record 45,344 people were entered into the race. Ethiopian runner Gebregziabher Gebremariam won the men's race in a time of...

 with an inflamed knee, Gebrselassie announced his retirement. Days later, he posted to his Twitter account that he was reconsidering his decision and wanted to run in the 2012 London Olympics. Gebrselassie had stated previously that after retiring he would like to enter politics.

Gebrselassie missed the 2011 Tokyo Marathon
Tokyo Marathon
The Tokyo International Marathon was a marathon for male elite runners held in Tokyo, Japan, from 1980 until 2006.It actually consisted of two marathons - the Tokyo International Marathon which took place on even years, and Tokyo-New York Friendship International Marathon which took place on odd...

 due to an injury, but won the half marathon
Half marathon
A half marathon is a road running event of . It is half the distance of a marathon and usually run on roads. Participation in half marathons has grown steadily recently. One of the main reasons for this is that it is a challenging distance, but does not require the same level of training that a...

 at the Vienna City Marathon on 17 April 2011. About a month later Gebrselassie easily won the Great Manchester Run
Great Manchester Run
The Bupa Great Manchester Run is an annual 10 kilometre run through the streets in Manchester city centre, which was established in 2003. Usually held in mid-May, it is among the largest and most prestigious mass participation runs in the United Kingdom...

 in England for the fourth time, finishing in 28:10. On September 26 he suffered a double setback when he dropped out of the Berlin Marathon (again suffering from respiratory difficulties of exercise-induced asthma) and saw his world records for 30 kilometers and the marathon broken by the man with whom he had been duelling, Patrick Makau. Haile was absent from the press conference later that day, but his manager Jos Hermens
Jos Hermens
Josephus Maria Melchior Hermens is a former Dutch long-distance runner, also known for his latter career as a sports manager....

 announced that while it was "the end of an era of record breaking for Haile, it's not the end of his career". He returned to his winning ways at the Birmingham half marathon with a new course record and followed that up with a win at the Zevenheuvelenloop in November, taking his third career victory at the Dutch 15K race.

Achievements

  • All results regarding marathon, unless stated otherwise
    Representing
    2002 London Marathon
    London Marathon
    The London Marathon is one of the biggest running events in the world, and one of the five top world marathons that make up the World Marathon Majors competition, which has a $1 million prize purse. It has been held each spring in London since 1981. The race is currently sponsored by Virgin Money,...

    3rd 2:06:35
    2005 Amsterdam Marathon
    Amsterdam Marathon
    The Amsterdam Marathon is an annual marathon race over the classic distance of 42.195km held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands since 1975. It is one of the top ten marathons in the world.-History:...

    1st 2:06:20
    2006 London Marathon
    London Marathon
    The London Marathon is one of the biggest running events in the world, and one of the five top world marathons that make up the World Marathon Majors competition, which has a $1 million prize purse. It has been held each spring in London since 1981. The race is currently sponsored by Virgin Money,...

    9th 2:09:31
    2006 Berlin Marathon
    Berlin Marathon
    The Berlin Marathon is a major running and sporting event held annually in Berlin, Germany. The official marathon distance of 42.195 kilometers is set up as a city-wide road race where professional athletes and amateur runners jointly participate...

    1st 2:05:56
    2006 Fukuoka Marathon
    Fukuoka Marathon
    The , held in Fukuoka, Japan, is an international men's marathon race established in 1947. It is usually held on the first Sunday in December.The course record is held by Tsegaye Kebede of Ethiopia, running 2:05:18 in 2009 to best his own record from the previous year.-Men's winners:Winners of the...

    1st 2:06:52
    2007 London Marathon
    London Marathon
    The London Marathon is one of the biggest running events in the world, and one of the five top world marathons that make up the World Marathon Majors competition, which has a $1 million prize purse. It has been held each spring in London since 1981. The race is currently sponsored by Virgin Money,...

    DNF DNF
    2007 Berlin Marathon
    Berlin Marathon
    The Berlin Marathon is a major running and sporting event held annually in Berlin, Germany. The official marathon distance of 42.195 kilometers is set up as a city-wide road race where professional athletes and amateur runners jointly participate...

    1st 2:04:26
    2008 Dubai Marathon
    Dubai Marathon
    The Dubai Marathon is an annual marathon running race held in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.The race is held in January each year, the first being run on 14 January 2000...

    1st 2:04:53
    2008 Berlin Marathon
    Berlin Marathon
    The Berlin Marathon is a major running and sporting event held annually in Berlin, Germany. The official marathon distance of 42.195 kilometers is set up as a city-wide road race where professional athletes and amateur runners jointly participate...

    1st 2:03:59
    2009 Dubai Marathon
    Dubai Marathon
    The Dubai Marathon is an annual marathon running race held in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.The race is held in January each year, the first being run on 14 January 2000...

    1st 2:05:29
    2009 Berlin Marathon
    Berlin Marathon
    The Berlin Marathon is a major running and sporting event held annually in Berlin, Germany. The official marathon distance of 42.195 kilometers is set up as a city-wide road race where professional athletes and amateur runners jointly participate...

    1st 2:06:08
    2010 Dubai Marathon
    Dubai Marathon
    The Dubai Marathon is an annual marathon running race held in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.The race is held in January each year, the first being run on 14 January 2000...

    1st 2:06:09
    2010 New York City Marathon
    New York City Marathon
    The New York City Marathon is a major annual marathon that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is one of the largest marathons in the world, with 45,103 finishers in 2010...

    DNF DNF
    2011 Great Manchester Run
    Great Manchester Run
    The Bupa Great Manchester Run is an annual 10 kilometre run through the streets in Manchester city centre, which was established in 2003. Usually held in mid-May, it is among the largest and most prestigious mass participation runs in the United Kingdom...

     (10 km)
    1st 0:28:10
    2011 Berlin Marathon
    Berlin Marathon
    The Berlin Marathon is a major running and sporting event held annually in Berlin, Germany. The official marathon distance of 42.195 kilometers is set up as a city-wide road race where professional athletes and amateur runners jointly participate...

    DNF DNF
    2011 Great Birmingham Run
    Great Birmingham Run
    The Great Birmingham Run is an annual half marathon road running event held in Birmingham, UK in October. Formerly known as the Birmingham Half Marathon, from 2011 it became part of the Great Run series of road races....

     (half-marathon)
    1st 1:01:29

Major honours

  • 1993 World Championships in Athletics
    1993 World Championships in Athletics
    The 4th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held in the Gottlieb Daimler Stadium, Stuttgart, Germany between August 13 and August 22 with the participation of 187 nations....

    • 10,000 metre gold medal
      Gold medal
      A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...

    • 5,000 metre silver medal
      Silver medal
      A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....

  • 1993 African Championships in Athletics
    1993 African Championships in Athletics
    The 9th African Championships in Athletics were held between 23 and 27 June 1993 in Durban, South Africa.-Men's events:-Women's events:-Medal table:-External links:* - GBR Athletics...

    • 5,000 metre silver medal
    • 10,000 metre bronze medal
      Bronze medal
      A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...

  • 1994 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
    IAAF World Cross Country Championships
    IAAF World Cross Country Championships is the most important competition in international cross country running. Held annually and organised by International Association of Athletics Federations , it was inaugurated in 1973, when it replaced the International Cross Country Championships...

     – bronze medal
    Bronze medal
    A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...

  • 1996 Summer Olympics
    1996 Summer Olympics
    The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....

    • 10,000 m gold medal
  • 1997 World Championships in Athletics
    1997 World Championships in Athletics
    The 6th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece between August 1 and August 10, 1997. In this event participated 1882 athletes from 198 participant nations...

    • 10,000 m gold medal
  • 1997 IAAF World Indoor Championships
    1997 IAAF World Indoor Championships
    The 6th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics were held at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy in Paris, France from March 7 to March 9, 1997. It was the first athletic championships to introduce women's pole vault...

    • 3,000 m gold medal
  • 1999 World Championships in Athletics
    1999 World Championships in Athletics
    The 7th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Estadio Olímpico, Seville, Spain, between the August 20 and August 29....

    • 10,000 m gold medal
  • 1999 IAAF World Indoor Championships
    1999 IAAF World Indoor Championships
    The 7th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics were held in the Green Dome Maebashi stadium in Maebashi, Japan from March 5 to March 7, 1999. It was the first time the Championships were staged outside Europe or North America. Primo Nebiolo, president of the IAAF, characterized the...

    • 1,500 m gold medal
    • 3,000 m gold medal
  • 2000 Summer Olympics
    2000 Summer Olympics
    The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...

    • 10,000 m gold medal
  • 2001 World Championships in Athletics
    2001 World Championships in Athletics
    The 8th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada between 3 August and 12 August and was the first time the event had visited North America...

    • 10,000 m bronze medal
  • 2001 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
    2001 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
    The 10th IAAF World Half Marathon Championships was held on October 7, 2001 in the city of Bristol, UK, and was run simultaneously with that year's Bristol Half Marathon. A total of 200 athletes, 125 men and 75 women, from 52 countries took part.-Individual:...

     winner
  • 2003 IAAF World Indoor Championships
    2003 IAAF World Indoor Championships
    The 9th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics were held in the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, UK from 14 March to 16 March 2003. It was the first time the Championships had been held in the UK...

    • 3,000 m gold medal
  • 2003 World Championships in Athletics
    2003 World Championships in Athletics
    The 9th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held from 23 August to 31 August 2003 in the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, France.-Track:...

    • 10,000 m silver medal

World Record and 'World Best' performances

Distance Mark Date Location Notes
5000 meters  12:56.96 4 June 1994 Hengelo
Hengelo
Hengelo is a municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands, in the province of Overijssel. The city lies along the motorways A1/E30 and A35 and it has a station for the International Amsterdam – Hannover – Berlin service.-Traffic and transport:...

, Netherlands
Two miles
Two miles
The 2 mile is a historic running distance. Like the mile run, it is still contested at some invitational meets, perhaps because it provides an easier record to break for meet promoters , as well as its historical chronology. It is largely superseded by the 3000 m and 5000 m, and by the 3200m in...

 
8:07.46 28 May 1995 Kerkrade
Kerkrade
Kerkrade is a town and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands.It is the western half of the divided region and de facto city, taken together with the eastern half, the German town of Herzogenrath...

, Netherlands
Third fastest time ever
10,000 meters  26:43.53 5 June 1995 Hengelo, Netherlands
5,000 meters 12:44.39 16 August 1995 Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...

, Switzerland
5,000 meters 13:10.98 27 January 1996 Sindelfingen
Sindelfingen
Sindelfingen is a German town near Stuttgart at the headwaters of the Schwippe that is the site of a Mercedes-Benz assembly plant.-History:* 1155 First documented mention of Sindelfingen...

, Germany,
indoors
3,000 meters 7:30.72 4 February 1996 Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....

, Germany,
indoors
5,000 meters 12:59.04 20 February 1997 Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...

, Sweden
indoors
Two miles 8:01.08 31 May 1997 Hengelo, Netherlands Second fastest time ever
10,000 meters 26:31.32 4 July 1997 Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...

, Norway
5,000 meters 12:41.86 13 August 1997 Zurich, Switzerland
3,000 meters 7:26.15 25 January 1998 Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe
The City of Karlsruhe is a city in the southwest of Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border.Karlsruhe was founded in 1715 as Karlsruhe Palace, when Germany was a series of principalities and city states...

, Germany
indoors
2,000 meters 4:52.86 15 February 1998 Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...

, UK
indoors
10,000 meters 26:22.75 1 June 1998 Hengelo, Netherlands
5,000 meters 12:39.36 13 June 1998 Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...

, Finland
5,000 meters 12:50.38 14 February 1999 Birmingham, UK indoors
10 kilometers 27:02 11 December 2002 Doha
Doha
Doha is the capital city of the state of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 998,651 in 2008, and is also one of the municipalities of Qatar...

, Qatar
road race
Two miles 8:04.69 21 February 2003 Birmingham, UK indoors
15 kilometers 41:22 4 September 2005 Tilburg
Tilburg
Tilburg is a landlocked municipality and a city in the Netherlands, located in the southern province of Noord-Brabant.Tilburg municipality also includes the villages of Berkel-Enschot and Udenhout....

, Netherlands
road race, not IAAF-ratified
10 miles 44:24 4 September 2005 Tilburg
Tilburg
Tilburg is a landlocked municipality and a city in the Netherlands, located in the southern province of Noord-Brabant.Tilburg municipality also includes the villages of Berkel-Enschot and Udenhout....

, Netherlands
road race, world best
20 kilometres 55:48 15 January 2006 Tempe
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, with the Census Bureau reporting a 2010 population of 161,719. The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Tempe is located in the East Valley section of metropolitan Phoenix; it is bordered by Phoenix and Guadalupe on the west, Scottsdale...

, Arizona, US
en route to half-marathon
Half marathon
Half marathon
A half marathon is a road running event of . It is half the distance of a marathon and usually run on roads. Participation in half marathons has grown steadily recently. One of the main reasons for this is that it is a challenging distance, but does not require the same level of training that a...

 
58:55 15 January 2006 Tempe, Arizona, US
25 kilometers 1:11:37 12 March 2006 Alphen aan den Rijn
Alphen aan den Rijn
Alphen aan den Rijn is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland, between Leiden and Utrecht. The town is situated on the banks of the river Oude Rijn , where the river Gouwe branches off. The municipality had a population of 72,674 in 2010, and covers an...

, Netherlands
road race, not IAAF-ratified – no post-race EPO
Erythropoietin
Erythropoietin, or its alternatives erythropoetin or erthropoyetin or EPO, is a glycoprotein hormone that controls erythropoiesis, or red blood cell production...

 test
One hour run
Hour run
The one hour run is an athletics event in which competitors try to cover as much distance as possible within one hour. While officially recognized by the International Association of Athletics Federations as a track event, it is rarely contested apart from occasional world record attempts.The event...

 
21,285 m 27 June 2007 Ostrava, Czech Republic
Marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...

 
2:04:26 30 September 2007 Berlin, Germany
Marathon
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres , that is usually run as a road race...

 
2:03:59 28 September 2008 Berlin, Germany
30 kilometers 1:27:49 20 September 2009 Berlin, Germany en route to marathon

Outdoors

Distance Mark Date Location
1,500 meters 3:33.73 6 June 1999 Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....

Mile 3:52.39 27 June 1999 Gateshead
Gateshead
Gateshead is a town in Tyne and Wear, England and is the main settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Gateshead. Historically a part of County Durham, it lies on the southern bank of the River Tyne opposite Newcastle upon Tyne and together they form the urban core of Tyneside...

3,000 meters 7:25.09 28 August 1998 Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...

Two miles 8:01.08 31 May 1997 Hengelo
Hengelo
Hengelo is a municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands, in the province of Overijssel. The city lies along the motorways A1/E30 and A35 and it has a station for the International Amsterdam – Hannover – Berlin service.-Traffic and transport:...

5,000 meters 12:39.36 13 June 1998 Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...

10,000 meters 26:22.75 1 June 1998 Hengelo
10 km (road) 27:02 11 December 2002 Ad-Dawhah
15 km (road) 41:38 11 November 2001 Nijmegen
Ten miles (road) 44:24 4 September 2005 Tilburg
Tilburg
Tilburg is a landlocked municipality and a city in the Netherlands, located in the southern province of Noord-Brabant.Tilburg municipality also includes the villages of Berkel-Enschot and Udenhout....

20,000 meters (track) 56:26.0 27 June 2007 Ostrava
Ostrava
Ostrava is the third largest city in the Czech Republic and the second largest urban agglomeration after Prague. Located close to the Polish border, it is also the administrative center of the Moravian-Silesian Region and of the Municipality with Extended Competence. Ostrava was candidate for the...

, Czech Republic
One hour (track) 21,285 m 27 June 2007 Ostrava, Czech Republic
20 km (road)* 55:48 15 January 2006 Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...

Half marathon 58:55 15 January 2006 Phoenix
25 km (road) 1:11:37 12 March 2006 Alphen aan den Rijn
Alphen aan den Rijn
Alphen aan den Rijn is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland, between Leiden and Utrecht. The town is situated on the banks of the river Oude Rijn , where the river Gouwe branches off. The municipality had a population of 72,674 in 2010, and covers an...

 (not recognised by IAAF)
Marathon world record 2:03:59 28 September 2008 Berlin


* en route to half-marathon

Indoors

Distance Mark Date Location
1,500 meters 3:31.76 1 February 1998 Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....

2,000 meters 4:52.86 15 February 1998 Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...

3,000 meters 7:26.15 25 January 1998 Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe
The City of Karlsruhe is a city in the southwest of Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border.Karlsruhe was founded in 1715 as Karlsruhe Palace, when Germany was a series of principalities and city states...

Two miles 8:04.69 21 February 2003 Birmingham
5,000 meters 12:50.38 14 February 1999 Birmingham

External links

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