BERLIN, September 2 – World marathon record-holder Haile Gebrselassie will face a tough challenge in his bid to break his own global mark when he competes in the Berlin marathon here on September 20.
The 36-year-old smashed his own record here at last year’s race when he ran 2hrs 03min 59sec but will be tested in the German capital this year with top Kenyan marathon runner Duncan Kibet also bidding for the world record.
The 31-year-old went close to Gebrselassie’s mark when he won the Rotterdam marathon last April, his time of 2:04:27 making him the second fastest marathoner ever.
More than 40,000 runners are expected to line up for one of the biggest marathons in the world with an estimated one million spectators lining the course.
