Gebrselassie takes fourth real,- BERLIN-MARATHON win

Haile Gebrselassie won the real,- BERLIN-MARATHON for the fourth year in succession this morning. But having reached for the stars with a ferocious attempt to break his world record of 2.03.59, set in the German capital last year, the Ethiopian ended up with a handful of moondust, finishing in a jog of fatigue in 2.06.08. “I was very tired, I pushed too much,” he said immediately afterwards.
 
Francis Kiprop of Kenya was second in a personal best, 2.07.04, ditto Negari Terfa of Ethiopia, third in 2.07.40. Pre-race co-favourite Duncan Kibet of Kenya dropped back at halfway, and eventually out of the race altogether. But he has the consolation of remaining fastest marathoner of the year, with his  2.04.27 victory in Rotterdam in April.
 
“My preparation was perfect,” Gebre said later. “That’s why I was on world record pace until 32-33k. But after 33k, with the sun getting warmer, I switched into a different gear. I tried to push, but it didn’t work”.
 
It would be crass to call this failure, since such ambition is what pushes back frontiers, and forges legends and reputations. Gebrselassie, 36, lacks in none of those departments.
 
The temperature was not as hot as expected (16C, rising to 20C for the men’s finish), but the pace was. Haile had asked for a tempo of 61min 30sec at halfway, and was clocked through at 61.48, still some 16 seconds faster than his pace during last year’s world record.
 
With Kibet already off the back of the pack, the remaining pacemakers – all Kenyan, incidentally, which gives you some idea of how relaxed is this East African rivalry – accelerated to deliver Geb to 30k in 1.27.49, just four seconds slower than he had hoped, but now 36 seconds ahead of last year’s record
 
The remaining pacemaker, Sammy Kosgei upped the allure even more in the final kilometre before he dropped out, the 32nd was run in 2.46, thus 39 seconds ahead of world record schedule. But that may have been the final straw, because having maintained a relentless sub-three minutes per kilometre pace (average 2.56 was necessary for a new record), Geb dropped off to successive kilometres well outside three minutes.
 
And that was that. He slowed and tired visibly, and although finishing well clear of closest pursuer, Kiprop, his time was only his own sixth best, and the 26th fastest in history. And, incidentally three seconds slower than the 2.06.05 world record of Ronaldo da Costa of Brazil in Berlin 1998, a record which prompted a spate of fast times, after a hiatus of ten years of no men’s marathon records.
 
There was the consolation of a 30k world record for Haile, his 1.27.49 (the pacemakers duly dropped back a little in order not to spoil the party) being 11sec faster than the 1.28.00 achieved by the Japanese Takayuki Matsumiya in a rarely run 30k race in February 2005. Yet to be ratified, it will be Gebrselassie’s 27th world best or record. But it, patently was not the one he sought.
 
“If you look at the 30k world record, it wasn’t too bad,” he opined of his run “What I’ve understood from today is that the temperature has to be under 16-17 degrees (celsius), to break the marathon world record (last year was between 12-16C). People say the marathon begins after 30, 35k, and the weather is important. Perhaps I should have calculated that from the beginning. I’ve learned a lot today. If I become a coach for marathon runners, I’ll be a good coach”.
 
Kiprop in second place improved his personal best by one minute and 24 seconds, from his 2.08.30 fourth place in Seoul last year, and Terfa in third was 1.17 faster than the 2.09.01 that he clocked for second place in Xiamen, China in January this year.
Duncan Kibet dropped out shortly after the 30k mark. Luke Kibet (no relation), the 2007 world champion made a late appearance as a pacemaker, but dropped out at 15k with a back injury.
 
The women’s podium looked destined to be populated by Ethiopians, but after a group of four dominated the early stages of the race, only Atsede Habtamu lasted the course in the lead, winning in 2.24.47, a half minute inside her personal best set in finishing second in Dubai this year. Silvia Skvortsova of Russia came through strongly to finish second in 2.26.24, a 33sec improvement on her best, a seventh place in London 2002. Debutante, Mamitu Daska of Ethiopia was third in 2.26.38.

08:35
Good morning, welcome to our live blog of the 36th real,- BERLIN-MARATHON. At 9 am we will start this blog

08:39
The weather is great.

08:40
It is bright and sunny. At 8 a.m. we had a temperature of 13 degrees Celsius.

08:52
Almost no wind is outside. Haile had a good breakfast - simply bread with strawberry jam, multivitamin juice and tea.

09:00
The race has started

09:01
Haile and Duncan are on their way of the 42,195 km course through Berlin.

09:02
40.923 people run behind the elite.

09:03
Only 13 percent are Berlin inhabitants. 43 percent are coming from abroad. A huge percentage which shows the international importance of this World Marathon Majors race.

09:07
Haile and Duncan runs in the lead together with their seven pacers.

09:10
8:43 split for kilometre 3. Nothing changed in the first group. The gap between the first and second group is 24 seconds.

09:24
The womens race is led by Aksale Tafa together with Genet Getaneh and the Italian Rosaria Console.

09:26
Their split times are: 10:08 minutes at 3 km and 17:03 minutes at six kilometres.

09:27
In the men's race nothing has changed. Haile and Duncan are leading the race with their pacers. Their split time at 7 km was 20:24 minutes.

09:27
The second group has a gap to the first one of 1:24 minutes.

09:31
The women passed 5 km in 17:30 minutes. This is a predicted time of 2:24 hours. In the lead is still Askale Tafa, Genet Getaneh, Atsede Habtamu Besuye, and the debutant Mamitu Daska (all Ethiopia) as well as the Italian Rosaria Console.

09:33
The 5 k split for the men was 14:30 minutes. The second group passed in 15:20 minutes. The split time for 10 km is 29:15 minutes.

09:34
The kilometre splits were: 2:59, 2:53; 2:51; 2:54; 2:56; 2:58; 2:58; 2:56; 2:56 minutes.

09:36
Of course this are all inofficial splits.

09:40
In the second women group are a lot of Europeans - Skortsova (RUS), Ribeiro (POR), Haining (GBR), Aryasova (RUS) try to follow the leaders as best as possible.

09:42
41:08 at 14 km split for Haile and Duncan.

09:52
The 15 km split is 43:58 minutes. Haile and Duncan have still four pace maker with them.

09:54
The marathon world champion of 2007, Luke Kibet, was pacing for Haile and Duncan, but he dropped out just after 15 km due to back problems.

09:55
The Ethiopian Atsede Besuye is leading the women's race.

09:58
Duncan loses a little ground to Haile. He is now about 20 meteres behind Haile.

10:00
Haile is still on world record pace.

10:03
Between Duncan and Haile is a gap of 12 seconds.

10:05
Haile reached the half marathon mark in 61:48 minutes.

10:06
Last year Haile had a half marathon split of 62:04 minutes.

10:14
Haile looks good and is still with two pace maker. He got his bottle behind the 25 k mark. 1:13:09 was the split for 25 km.

10:21
If Haile is keep on running like this his predicted time is 2:03:30.

10:23
The women passed 20 km in 1:08:25 hours - a predicted time of 2:24 hours.

10:26
Haile is now running with a last pacer at 29 k.

10:28
Duncan is a minute down. He split 1:14:09 hours for 25 km.

10:34
Haile split 1:27:49 - a new 30 km world record (inoffical). Duncan split 1:30:41 at 30 km.

10:35
Now Haile is alone after 32 km. The last 10 km he has to run alone.

10:42
Francis Kiprop is the leader of the second group. He split 30 km in 1:29:42. Behind him is Eshetu Wondimu (1:29:50) and then the prospective contender Duncan Kibet split 1:30:18.

10:45
Haile split 35 km in 1:42:37 minutes. He needs to increase the pace a little in order to run a new world record.

10:51
The women split 30 km in 1:42:12 hours. This is still a predicted finishing time of 2:24 hours.

10:54
Haile split at 37 km 1:48:50 hours.

10:58
Haile is running slower and Kiprop is still increasing his pace.

11:00
1:58:34 for Haile at 40 km. Kiprop is 80 seconds behind.

11:01
It doesn't look like a new world record. He is already on the long home stretch - the street Unter den Linden.

11:04
Duncan Kibet is 10th at the moment.

11:04
Haile is passing the Brandenburg Gate

11:05
Haile wins the real,- BERLIN-MARATHON.

11:06
His time is 2:06:08.

11:07
But a surprise is the second of the real,- BERLIN-MARATHON - Francis Kiprop from Kenya.

11:07
2:07:03 is Kiprop's time.

11:09
Negari Terfa finished third.

11:20
The fastest women is approaching the long home stretch. It's Atsede Habtamu Besuye from Ethiopia.

11:24
Besuye wins the 36th real,- BERLIN-MARATHON in 2:24:47 hours.

11:25
Second will be the Russian Silvia Skvortsova

11:26
She finishes in 2:26:23 hours. A personal best with 35 years.

11:27
Third was Mamitu Daska (Ethiopia) who did her debut in Berlin.

11:35
Her time was 2:26:38 hours.

11:40
Thanks for joining the live blog. You can find all results at: www.berlin-marathon.com