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Haile Gebrselassie, four-times World and twice Olympic 10,000 metres champion, shattered the World Half Marathon record by 21 seconds at the P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon and Half-Marathon in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. Gebrselassie clocked 58:55 minutes. In the process he also improved the 20km mark too.
Competing on a cool, crisp day - ideal for distance running - the diminutive Ethiopian shattered World records in the half-marathon and 20K. Overcoming a relatively slow start by his three pacesetters, Gebrselassie was sensational after he set out on his own between the 7K and 8K marks and blazed the final two-thirds of the half marathon course on his own, finishing in 58:55. His time clipped 21 seconds off the previous record of 59:16 set by Kenyan teenager Samuel Wanjiru at Rotterdam, Netherlands, on 11 September 2005. Gebrselassie had passed the 20 k mark in 55:48 minutes.