Bekele eyes marathon world record in Dubai

TRIPLE Olympic track champion Kenenisa Bekele, the second-fastest marathon runner in history, said yesterday that he can shave around 90 seconds off the current world record over the classic 26.2 mile distance before he retires.

Ethiopian Bekele, widely regarded as the greatest distance runner of all time and world record holder over 10 000 and 5 000 metres, is making an attempt at the world record tomorrow at the Dubai Marathon.

He ran two hours, three minutes and three seconds when winning in Berlin last September, six seconds outside Dennis Kimetto’s world record of 2:02:57 set on the same course in 2014.

The 34-year-old, who said he is eyeing “just the world record” this week, told reporters he believes he can run “around 2:01:30” before retiring.

The last time Bekele competed in the Dubai Marathon was in 2015 when an injury forced him to pull out mid-race.

“I am fully confident. My preparation is going well. I am healthy enough,” he said on the sidelines of a press conference ahead of tomorrow’s race. He said he expects a better time than in Berlin.

To run 2:01:30 Bekele said he would need to change his training programme.

“The way you prepare yourself is very different. You need nutrition groups and facilities have to be perfect,” he said, adding that he had not changed his preparations since Berlin. – Reuters