New Marathon World Record

donothoponpop

Haile is the first to ever run under 2:04- unbelievable running!

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http://www.universalsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPID=13048&DB_OEM_ID=23000&ATCLID=1591792

By Kevin Fylan

Ethiopia's Haile Gebrselassie shattered his own world marathon record in Berlin on Sunday when he became the first man to run under two hours four minutes.

Gebrselassie clocked an official time of two hours three minutes 59 seconds to beat the time of 2:04:26 he set in Berlin 12 months ago, when he took the world record from Paul Tergat.

Wearing his distinctive yellow vest and yellow shoes, the 35-year-old was inside the required pace from the start and at the halfway stage already 25 seconds faster than his split time last year.

Gebrselassie, who opted not to run the marathon at last month's Beijing Olympics because of concerns about the pollution, dropped the last of his challengers with around six kilometres left and his victory was never in doubt.

"Everything was perfect," Gebrselassie told German TV after crossing the line on a sunny but cool Berlin morning.

"The weather was perfect, the race was perfect and the crowd was perfect."

James Kwambai was second in 2:05:36, with fellow Kenyan Charles Kamathi third in 2:07:48.

Irina Mikitenko of Germany won the women's race in an unofficial time of 2:19:19.

Running Bing

Wow, just tremendous. I was actually very disappointed this was not on anywhere. I expected Setanta or Eurosport to show it.


Tremendous run and great to think that at 35 (over the hill in a lot of sports) a person can still break a world record.


Surely this guy has to be one of the greatest, if not the greatest, runners ever?

Woddle

I think BBC world news are doing sth at 3:15, Im hoping to catch the highlights later as Im in Berlin, The crowd love that guy the applause he got was excellent, it was very warm today aswell, not Beijing warm though.

Running Bing

Woddle wrote: »

I think BBC world news are doing sth at 3:15, Im hoping to catch the highlights later as Im in Berlin, The crowd love that guy the applause he got was excellent, it was very warm today aswell, not Beijing warm though.

Read your race report Woddle, congrats on the time, sounds like it was a great day.


Actually you never hear a bad word about Berlin from anyone, seems a great race and I would really love to run it some day.

The Hammer

In the thread
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=57452305&posted=1

Seems as if Berlin was a little less organised than usual - huge amount of corall hopping. Most runners were able to barge their way through and stand up with the elites.

geld

The Hammer wrote: »

In the thread
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=57452305&posted=1

Seems as if Berlin was a little less organised than usual - huge amount of corall hopping. Most runners were able to barge their way through and stand up with the elites.

Now, C'mon Hammer - an admission by one runner hardly justifies your comment that most runners were able to barge their way up to the elites. If this was so then the elites would have been trampled on by thousands of runners!.

Geld