Haile Gebrselassie receives the AIMS/CITIZEN WORLD’S FASTEST TIME AWARD for the Marathon

Ethiopian Marathon runner Haile Gebrselassie was today (21/11/08) presented with the AIMS/Citizen World’s Fastest Time Award for his world-record-breaking performance in this year’s Berlin-Marathon.

Ethiopian Marathon runner Haile Gebrselassie was today (21/11/08) presented with the AIMS/Citizen World’s Fastest Time Award for his world-record-breaking performance in this year’s Berlin Marathon.

Haile’s time of 2:03:59 achieved on 28th September 2008 beat the previous men’s marathon world record, achieved by Haile on the same course last year, by an incredible 27 seconds.

This outstanding achievement has been officially recognised as the fastest time recorded by a man over the marathon distance by both the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS), which represents over 260 major road running events in 85 countries, and the IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations).

AIMS Secretary Hugh Jones made the presentation of this special award at the pre-race media conference for this weekend’s 2008 Toyota Great Ethiopian Run.

AIMS President Hiroaki Chosa comments: “Haile Gebrselassie’s achievement in winning the AIMS/Citizen World’s Fastest Time Award is astonishing. Haile epitomises the qualities of the ultimate distance runner and should be regarded as a role model for runners throughout the world. To win this award for the second time in a row is an outstanding achievement and confirms Haile’s official status as the fastest male marathon runner in world history.”

AIMS Secretary Hugh Jones comments: “AIMS Statistician Dr David Martin has pointed out that if world record times keep improving at the rate they are currently progressing, an athlete could break a time of two hours for the marathon by 2015.
I am delighted that Haile’s outstanding performance is being recognised in this way.”

Haile Gebrselassie comments: “I am delighted to accept this prestigious award from AIMS and Citizen and I wish to thank them for their continued support. I would also like to accept this award on behalf of my coach, friends, family, and the wider running community. To receive this honour in my home country of Ethiopia is special to me.”

AIMS proposed the World Record criteria, that the IAAF has adopted, which is:

Road World Records will be accepted by the IAAF for the following distances:

    10km;  15km;  20km;  Half Marathon;  25km;  30km;  Marathon (42.195km);
    100km;  Road Relay (Marathon distance only)

The following conditions must be met:

a)    The event must be sanctioned either by the IAAF and/or the National Federation and conducted under IAAF Rules.

b)    The athlete achieving the IAAF Road World Record must be eligible to compete under IAAF Rules.

c)    The course must be measured by an “A” or “B” IAAF/AIMS approved measurer as defined in IAAF Rule 240.3.

d)    The start and finish points on a course, measured along a straight line between them, shall not be further apart than 50% of the race distance.

e)    The decrease in elevation between the start and finish shall not exceed an average of one in a thousand, i.e. 1m per km.

f)    Either the course measurer that certified the course or another “A” or “B” measurer in possession of the complete measurement data and maps must validate that the course measured was the course run by riding in the lead vehicle.

g)    The course must be verified on site (i.e. within two weeks before, on the day of the race or as soon as practical after the race), preferably by a different IAAF/AIMS “A” or “B” measurer from the one that did the original measurement.

h)    The athlete must undergo a doping control on the date of the race.

i)    For the Road Relay, the race should be run in stages of 5km, 10km, 5km, 10km, 5km, 7.195km.

Road World Records set at intermediate distances within a race must comply with the above conditions and be timed according to IAAF Rules.  The intermediate distances must have been measured and marked during the course measurement.
   
It is recommended that Member Federations adopt the Rules of the IAAF for the conduct of their own athletic competitions.

AIMS Athlete Info Page: Haile Gebrselassie

Born 18th April 1973 in Arssi, Ethiopia

1.64 m tall, 53 kg weight

Haile Gebrselassie entered the world rankings of athletics in 1992, specialising in the 5,000m and 10,000m track events. His smooth, almost effortless stride makes him an extraordinarily gifted long distance runner.

A two time Olympic champion at 10,000m (Atlanta and Sydney), he waited until 2002 to start his marathon career, gaining a 2:06:35 debut of third place in London.  In 2008, he broke his own world record in the marathon at Berlin (2:03:59).

He has held world bests since 1994, outdoors at 5,000m, 10,000m, 10km road, 10 miles road, 20km road, half marathon and 25km road and indoors at 2,000m, 3,000m and 5,000m.

He continued his excellence in June 2007, with a ‘world best’ on the track in the one-hour run at the Golden Spike meeting in Ostrava covering 21,285 metres.

Racing History Personal Bests
1500m            3:33.73      Stuttgart        1999
One mile         3:52.39      Gateshead      1999
2000m            4:56.1        Bruxelles       1997
3000m            7:25.09      Bruxelles        1998
Two miles        8:01.08      Hengelo        1997
5,000m           12:39.36    Helsinki        1998
10,000m         26:22.75    Hengelo        1998
10km              27:02        Doha            2002
15km              41:38        Nijmegen       2001
20,000m         56:26.0     Ostrava        2007
20km              55:48        Phoenix, AZ  2006
One hour         21,285m    Ostrava        2007
Half marathon  58:55        Phoenix, AZ  2006
25km              1:11:37     Alphen aan den Rijn    2006
30km              1:28:57     Amsterdam   2005
Marathon           2:03:59        Berlin              2008

Information supplied by AIMS Statistics Director Dr David Martin

 

 

 

AIMS Athlete Info Page: Haile Gebrselassie

Born 18th April 1973 in Arssi, Ethiopia

1.64 m tall, 53 kg weight

Haile Gebrselassie entered the world rankings of athletics in 1992, specialising in the 5,000m and 10,000m track events. His smooth, almost effortless stride makes him an extraordinarily gifted long distance runner.

A two time Olympic champion at 10,000m (Atlanta and Sydney), he waited until 2002 to start his marathon career, gaining a 2:06:35 debut of third place in London.  In 2008, he broke his own world record in the marathon at Berlin (2:03:59).

He has held world bests since 1994, outdoors at 5,000m, 10,000m, 10km road, 10 miles road, 20km road, half marathon and 25km road and indoors at 2,000m, 3,000m and 5,000m.

He continued his excellence in June 2007, with a ‘world best’ on the track in the one-hour run at the Golden Spike meeting in Ostrava covering 21,285 metres.

Racing History Personal Bests
1500m            3:33.73    Stuttgart        1999
One mile         3:52.39    Gateshead      1999
2000m            4:56.1        Bruxelles       1997
3000m            7:25.09    Bruxelles        1998
Two miles        8:01.08    Hengelo        1997
5,000m           12:39.36    Helsinki        1998
10,000m         26:22.75    Hengelo        1998
10km              27:02        Doha            2002
15km              41:38        Nijmegen       2001
20,000m         56:26.0     Ostrava        2007
20km              55:48        Phoenix, AZ  2006
One hour         21,285m    Ostrava        2007
Half marathon  58:55        Phoenix, AZ  2006
25km              1:11:37    Alphen aan den Rijn    2006
30km              1:28:57    Amsterdam   2005
Marathon           2:03:59      Berlin              2008

Information supplied by AIMS Statistics Director Dr David Martin