Haile Gebrselassie and Patrick Makau set to contest Berlin Marathon – IAAF Gold Label Road Race
Berlin Marathon or the BMW Berlin Marathon is among the best marathon races in the world, and perhaps this is the reason that with the announcement of its commencement, top runners from around the globe strive to line-up for the title.
Fulfilling its tradition, this year’s IAAF Gold Label Road Race has also become a cherished event among both spectators and performers. Stardom has been a prominent feature of the race, and thus, this year too, the world’s leading athletes are gathering
in the German capital to display their performances
Earlier, the world record holder, Paula Radcliffe, who arrived to the city a couple of days ago, had expressed her delight to become a part of world’s leading marathon, and now, on men’s side, Haile Gebrselassie, the world record holder along with the impressive
Patrick Makau, have announced to run for the prestigious title.
Gebrselassie, the 38-year-old long distance runner from Ethiopia, is the most experienced runner in the men’s field. His first appearance at the Berlin race was marked back in 1992, the year when he started to claim the limelight in athletics arena by naming
the World Junior Championships in 5000 and 10,000m categories.
However, now, the Berlin marathon is no more a newer track for the Ethiopian who boasts of bagging a series of world and Olympic titles and has already had marked his dominance on the track back in 2008, when he outperformed his rivals for displaying a ground
breaking finish of two hours, three minutes and 59 seconds.
Gebrselassie is an interesting figure in the Berlin run, as the veteran is not only the fastest and most experienced runner in the meet, but he is also the oldest of all of runners. However, from his track record, he seems undeterred by age factor. There
still are hopes for young Makau to take advantage of the situation and depict a strategy or pace which may prove to be a challenge for the athletics legend, who has been through a number of injuries lately.
Makau, the 26-year-old Kenyan has emerged as a strong marathon runner so far. In four of the marathon competitions he has appeared in, he bagged event titles in two and his average has been around an impressive two hours and six minutes.
Responding to a question from a reporter about whether he was afraid of facing the formidable Ethiopian rival, Makau said, “I’m not under pressure, because I’m running with the champion. I’ve done just a few marathons, Haile has done many marathons with
fast times. It’s an opportunity for me to learn and get more experience. Last year, conditions were not favourable. This Sunday looks as if the weather will be good, so I’m happy to do better.”
The Kenyan runner’s resolve to emerge in the race at a time when Haile also wishes to mark an impressive performance just ahead of the London Olympics is expected to produce a run which everyone will remember for long.
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