geb will NOT run olympic marathon.

okaay wrote:Haile has run 3.31 indoors.

haile's interview with Great Ethiopian run web site

12 March 2008- Ethiopian distance running star Haile Gebrselassie says he may compete over the marathon at the 29th Beijing Olympics if the International Olympic Committee (IOC) makes changes to the event’s venue and starting time.

On Monday, the world marathon record holder and former double Olympic 10000m champion announced that he will not take part in this year’s Olympic marathon citing Beijing’s pollution and fearing the aggravation of his own exercise-induced asthma.

But speaking on Wednesday, the 34-year old said, “I do not want to rule anything out at this point. This decision is not about Haile. It is about all athletes who will be competing. Our safety has to be protected.”

Gebrselassie says a venue outside polluted Beijing and an early morning start are measures that should be taken by the organizers to ensure the safety of participants.

“If the IOC makes the decision to switch venues and starting times, then I may reverse my decision depending on how my training is going. I do not think it is entirely impossible that this may happen.”

Gebrselassie’s decision has generated lots of publicity around the world, but the star says that he was surprised by the amount of coverage his decision was given on Monday.

“I have won many world and Olympic titles and broken many world records, but I have never received this sort of publicity in my career,” he said. “People must understand that this is a sporting decision and no different than what I make for every competition.”

“I have nothing against China or their hosting of the Olympics. In fact, I think they are doing a great job at hosting the Olympics. I visited there a month ago and their facilities are just excellent. In my opinion, the medical facilities are amongst the best in the world. I also think that the Olympic stadium, the bird’s nest, is a great piece of architecture.”

And Gebrselassie stressed he will be going to the Olympics one way or another. “I have planned to compete in the 10000m. But first I have to qualify for the Ethiopian team. That is not easy.”

Ethiopia uses a time-based qualification for major track championships where the fastest three runners in the Olympic qualifying period (April to July 2008) will make up the 10000m.

In addition to reigning Olympic champion Kenenisa Bekele and silver medallist Sileshi Sihine, Gebrselassie will be facing a battle against a host of up and coming young runners including All-African Games 10000m silver medallist Tadesse Tola and Abebe Dinkessa, a runner with a 10000m personal best of 26.30.

But Gebrselassie is confident of not only making the Olympic team, but also winning a record-breaking third Olympic 10000m title.

“I would not have made the decision if I was not confident of my ability,” says Gebrselassie who has recently increased his track preparations to his road regimen. “In one way or another, I am going to compete in Beijing.”

Gebrselassie is expected to return back to competition this Sunday when he takes part in the 2008 Lisbon Half Marathon. He will also try to qualify for the Olympic 10000m at the 2008 FBK Thales Games in Hengelo, Netherlands on May 24th.

haile's interview with Great Ethiopian run web site

12 March 2008- Ethiopian distance running star Haile Gebrselassie says he may compete over the marathon at the 29th Beijing Olympics if the International Olympic Committee (IOC) makes changes to the event’s venue and starting time.

On Monday, the world marathon record holder and former double Olympic 10000m champion announced that he will not take part in this year’s Olympic marathon citing Beijing’s pollution and fearing the aggravation of his own exercise-induced asthma.

But speaking on Wednesday, the 34-year old said, “I do not want to rule anything out at this point. This decision is not about Haile. It is about all athletes who will be competing. Our safety has to be protected.”

Gebrselassie says a venue outside polluted Beijing and an early morning start are measures that should be taken by the organizers to ensure the safety of participants.

“If the IOC makes the decision to switch venues and starting times, then I may reverse my decision depending on how my training is going. I do not think it is entirely impossible that this may happen.”

Gebrselassie’s decision has generated lots of publicity around the world, but the star says that he was surprised by the amount of coverage his decision was given on Monday.

“I have won many world and Olympic titles and broken many world records, but I have never received this sort of publicity in my career,” he said. “People must understand that this is a sporting decision and no different than what I make for every competition.”

“I have nothing against China or their hosting of the Olympics. In fact, I think they are doing a great job at hosting the Olympics. I visited there a month ago and their facilities are just excellent. In my opinion, the medical facilities are amongst the best in the world. I also think that the Olympic stadium, the bird’s nest, is a great piece of architecture.”

And Gebrselassie stressed he will be going to the Olympics one way or another. “I have planned to compete in the 10000m. But first I have to qualify for the Ethiopian team. That is not easy.”

Ethiopia uses a time-based qualification for major track championships where the fastest three runners in the Olympic qualifying period (April to July 2008) will make up the 10000m.

In addition to reigning Olympic champion Kenenisa Bekele and silver medallist Sileshi Sihine, Gebrselassie will be facing a battle against a host of up and coming young runners including All-African Games 10000m silver medallist Tadesse Tola and Abebe Dinkessa, a runner with a 10000m personal best of 26.30.

But Gebrselassie is confident of not only making the Olympic team, but also winning a record-breaking third Olympic 10000m title.

“I would not have made the decision if I was not confident of my ability,” says Gebrselassie who has recently increased his track preparations to his road regimen. “In one way or another, I am going to compete in Beijing.”

Gebrselassie is expected to return back to competition this Sunday when he takes part in the 2008 Lisbon Half Marathon. He will also try to qualify for the Olympic 10000m at the 2008 FBK Thales Games in Hengelo, Netherlands on May 24th.

I bet he'll run. I'll be shocked if he doesn't.

At first, I was disappointed in not having Geb in the Olympic Marathon, don't we all want the best there? But do we think that Felix Limo and Martin Lel will both be in Kenyan vests there (arguably Kenya's two best marathoners).

I think it's great that Geb is saying what we all know and have seen for too long, that it's time to think about what is best for the athletes at the Olympics and not what is comfy and big bucks for the IOC. There will be NOTHING more risky for endurance athletes than running in the heat and pollution of Bejing for 2 hours plus, except for the 50 km walk, the triathlon, and the longest bike races.

Geb is one of the few, if only people that MIGHT get the attention of the IAAF, if not the IOC, and MIGHT get the parameters of the marathon changed, late as it is. The big problem is that neither organization has ever shown they care about the athletes, or that they have the guts to admit they are wrong in their approach to the distance events.

As it is, look to several runners collapsing in the 10,000, and probably the 5000, and requiring medical aid, possibly even hospitalization. I do believe that will happen with both marathons as they are presently planned.

Just as an aside, I do work as an Exercise Physiologist in Cardiac Rehab (so, yes, I do work in the exercise field) and my wife does have exercise induced asthma and requires both daily and rescue inhalers to control it. EIA is a scary event to witness, it leaves you feeling quite helpless.

I am usually in support of a person "learning" from their mistakes. I realize however that this is Letsrun. Geb has been a running phenom from the beginning and almost all of us--letsrun sadists aside--have been thrilled and awed by his natural ability. Yet we've also seen him at his weakest moments, dropping out of races (marathons) and struggling. We've heard post race reasoning and excuses. Geb was right there in London '07; then he wasn't. Everybody exploded shouting "foul". Fools, that they were.

He then lit up 42k and dropped, yet again, one of the fastest times in history. This past year he also showed us a spontaneous return to the 10, which in typical Geb fashion yielded sub 27 against the multitude of naysayers. He had done very little training for it.

Geb complained of this at London. The big city air--dare we call it that--was not good for him. Who walks into a disaster after having just experienced it. Too many people.

Obviously the expectations for Geb to run the marathon are huge, for others and, more to the point, himself. Getting gold for 42km would solidify his greatest beyond what our previous reality has dictated. Who has done, or will do, what that amazing endurance runner Haile Gebrselassie has accomplished?

So I applaud this man for doing what makes sense. He wants to keep his lungs and performance clean, not polluted.

...and, I wouldn't doubt that you winners bagging Geb are the same who bashed anyone opting out of Mombasa. Yeah because that turned about being a stupid choice...

How about the Chinese people who breathe that stuff EVERY DAY OF THEIR LIVES?

...how 'bout some thoughts for them?

That is horrific, with his age it should be do or die. I cannot believe he is finding an excuse to pull out of the Olympics. Very uncharacteristic, to be honest, I am very dissaponted as I am sure most of Ethiopia is. I cannot see him having a chance at medalling on the track. I sincerely hopes he changes his mind. I, as I`m sure most have, want him to fulfill his Olympic legacy and win gold in the marathon. Nothing would be more fitting to such an illustrious career.

just thought i would shed some light on the pollution issue, b/c lets be honest, that sounds lame...

i was just in beijing less than 3 months ago, and was training for a marathon at the time, and i must say the pollution problem there is both real and severe (btw i live in new jersey and have lived in Philly, so i do know what pollution is like). i found it to be much worse than LA, ATL, NO or any of the other cities i have stayed/ran in. as to whether i would skip an Olympics due to it, i doubt it (but if i already had 2 gold medals at home, i might answer that differently). there is also the issue of heat, and i suppose even the great Halie G is human and perhaps is unable to recover from the hotter races and does not want this OG to end his career and running a 10k i snot at all similar to running a marathon in those conditions that he will likely face -i realize that is a stretch, but like may of you i prefer to have my heroes in the sport, and so i fight the good fight and refrain from crying cheat b/c of mere circumstantial evidence, compelling as it may be at first, though in this case if he decided to run the 10k, than, clearly the testing is not an issue that warrants discussion. i will, however, instantly turn on those athletes if in fact they are caught. besides, remember when he wanted the track watered down at the 96 Games? the point here is, the science in Ethiopia is not on par with that in the American system, and if he has experts advising him not to run (whether you think they are right or not) he would be foolish to simply ignore them -why jeopardize a near-perfect career?

lastly, i must admit that it does seem odd that he would skip these games, as he will likely not be as strong in 4 years as he is now, and additionally, new talent is always arising and a medal (let alone a gold one) seems to be a less than certain prediction for Geb in 2012. so while i (like all of you)do not understand why he made this choice, it is still his choice, and like him or not, he is not a stupid man, and he and Hermans have done pretty much everything right in his career thus far, so who am i to doubt them.

btw, running in beijing (and shanghai) is nearly impossible due to the traffic -car bike and foot- and lack of "parks" or at least what i consider a park- so i do not recommend any serious runners go there while doing real training -those 4 weeks severely stymied my training. i was getting up every morning about quarter to 5am just to be able to run in the dark on sometimes uneven but always paved roads and sidewalks.