Haile Gebrselassie on double duty in Manchester

Haile Gebrselassie will be chasing his sixth victory at the Morrisons Great Manchester Run on 10 May before running the course for a second time with the masses 

Haile Gebrselassie will be on a double mission when he returns to the happy hunting ground of the Morrisons Great Manchester Run, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, on 10 May.

The 41-year-old Ethiopian, who has broken a staggering 27 world records in an international career which dates back to the early 1990s, intends to challenge for a sixth victory before running the course for a second time to enjoy the atmosphere of Europe’s biggest 10km race.

“Manchester is one of my favourite cities in the world to race in,” said Gebrselassie, who first won this race a decade ago in 27:25.

“The atmosphere, the people and the organisation are all fantastic. This time after I have competed in the elite race on May 10, I am going to jog round the 10k again with another wave of runners.

“It will be a unique experience for me and I look forward to meeting some of those who have cheered me on before!”

Gebrselassie’s main rival is set to be Bernard Lagat, who has his sights on Haile’s world over-40 record of 28:00 on his 10km road debut.

“It is not going to be easy, but it is good to have something to shoot at,” said Lagat, 40, who won the world 1500m and 5000m titles in 2007.

“It is a really quick time. It shows how great Haile has been for so long. It will be an honour for me to run in the same race with him.”

Source: worldrunning.com

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