German
English
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Haile Gebrselassie, the defending champion, will return to the
34th real,- BERLIN-MARATHON. The signing of the exceptional Ethiopian
runner was announced by Race Director Mark Milde. Last year Haile Gebrselassie
won the real,- BERLIN-MARATHON in the fastest time of the year of 2:05:56 hours.
The most spectacular German road race will be held on September 30th with up to 40,000 runners. The race belongs to the World Marathon Majors
(WMM).
<p">„With Haile Gebrselassie we have signed one of the best runners of all
times. We are delighted that after his impressive performance last year Haile
has again chosen the real,- BERLIN-MARATHON for his fall marathon race,“ said
Mark Milde.
<p">Haile Gebrselassie dominated long distance track running for years. He
was 10,000 m Olympic Champion twice (1996 and 2000). At World Championships he
won a gold medal at 10,000 m four times in a row (1993, 1995, 1997, 1999). The
34 year-old set 21 world records in his career so far. At the Olympic Games in
Athens 2004 he had to be content with fifth place in the 10,000 m final due to
an injury. After that Haile Gebrselassie decided to concentrate on road running,
especially on the marathon. The highlight of his marathon career so far was his
victory in Berlin in 2006. Clocking 2:05:56 hours he became the fifth fastest
marathon runner of all times. He missed the world record of his big rival Paul
Tergat by just 61 seconds. The Kenyan had triumphed with 2:04:55 in Berlin in
2003.
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After Haile Gebrselassie had to give up in the Flora London Marathon in
April due to breathing problems, he can now collect the first WMM points for the
2007-2008 series in Berlin. The best marathoners of the world are competing at
the World Marathon Majors, collecting points over a two years’ cycle. The
winners’ prize purse is one million Dollar, which will be split between the best
male and female runners.
<p">The real,- BERLIN-MARATHON has 35,000 registrations so far. That means
that only 5.000 bibs are left. As last year the limit is set at 40,000 runners.
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