Haile Gebrselassie, one of the all-time great distance runners, will be aiming to win the 10,000 metres Great Manchester Run road race for a sixth time when he competes at this year’s event on Sunday, May 10.
Organisers confirmed Friday the 41-year-old Ethiopian, who has broken 37 world records and won two Olympic 10,000m titles, would be taking part in this year’s edition on the street course in Manchester, north-west England.
The Olympic 10,000m champion in 1996 and 2000 and four times world champion at the distance from 1993 to 199, Gebrselassie has won the Manchester event five times — in 2005, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012
“Manchester is one of my favourite cities in the world to race in,†said Gebrselassie in a statement.
“The atmosphere, the people and the organisation are all fantastic.”
The elite field will feature another veteran distance runner in Bernard Lagat
The 40-year-old American, winner of the 1500m and 5,000m at the 2007 world championships in Osaka, will try to break Gebrselassie’s Over 40s Masters world record in what will be his debut race at 10km on the roads.
Gebrselassie set the 10km road record, 28 minutes 00 seconds, when finishing third behind Uganda’s Moses Kipsiro and Wilson Kipsang of Kenya in Manchester in 2013.
“It is not going to be easy, but it is good to have something to shoot at,” said Lagat.
“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.”
The elite women’s race in Manchester will feature another experienced campaigner in Britain’s Jo Pavey, the 41-year-old European 10,000m champion.