Geb on WR pacing duties in London

Geb on WR pacing duties in London

Feb 17, 2014 by Christopher Chavez
Geb on WR pacing duties in London
Arguably the greatest distance runner ever, Haile Gebreselassie will be moving into the role of pace maker for the 2014 Virgin London Marathon on April 13. The Ethiopian has been charged with the duty of taking the elite men's field through the first 30-kilometers in World Record pace, which is approximately 1:28. 

In the elite field for the race are some big names that include current World Record holder Wilson Kipsang, double Olympic and World Championship gold medalist Mo Farah, Olympic and World Marathon Champion Stephen Kiprotich, 2013 London Marathon Champion Tsegaye Kebede, and London Marathon record holder Emmanuel Mutai

"Haile is an icon of distance running, a man who has broken 27 world records on the track and road during his long and brilliant career, and we can’t think of anyone better to set our elite men up for a crack at the world marathon record," London martahon race director Hugh Brasher said in a press release. “Everyone knows how difficult it is to break the world record on London’s course, especially with such a competitive field, but with Haile pacing and four of the fastest marathon runners in history in the race, there’s a real chance we will see something special."

Gebreselassie holds a personal best of 2:03:59 in the marathon from his run at the 2008 Berlin Marathon. The 40-year-old will be making his pacing debut on the same roads in which he made his marathon debut in 2002.