World Record Holder Haile Gebrselassie Makes a Commitment to Return Once Again to the real,- BERLIN MARATHON

For the third time, Haile Gebrselassie will once again be competing in the real,- BERLIN-MARATHON. On September 28, 2008 , after his victories in 2005 and last year (in a world-record time of 2:04: 26), the Ethiopian world-class runner will again attempt to complete the flat course through the city centre faster than any man before him.

With Gebrselassie’s announcement in the spring that due to the expected climatic conditions in Beijing he would not be participating in the Olympic Marathon, the first signs of a possible start in Berlin were emerging. In February in Dubai he made an attempt to improve on his own record time, but fell short by 28 seconds.

Three questions for Haile:

How is you training going towards the real,- BERLIN-MARATHON?

Haile: My training for the real,- BERLIN -MARATHON 2008 is going very well. Especially the long runs are going well, and this gives me the confidence I can do, again, something good in Berlin.

After your experiences having run the Berlin course twice what is it that drives you to come for a third time to Berlin?

Haile: For me it's almost impossible not to start in Berlin. I have such a good feeling with Berlin, it's the organization, the people on the roads who are cheering for me, the city, the weather, the course, just everything together makes that I feel always happy by coming to Berlin. The last two editions went so well for me, and I feel every time I learn more about the course, the marathon and myself. I will use that experience in September.

Is the Olympic Marathon in London 2012 a realistic goal for you?

Haile: The Olympic Marathon in 2012 is a very serious and realistic goal for me. Really, four years is a short time. At the moment I'm still getting stronger all the time. For me it's great to have London 2012 in mind, it gives me a lot of motivation and I'm looking forward to do something special there.