
Haile sets the world record for the half marathon in 2006.

Haile Gebrselassie: Ethiopia’s Ambassador
to the World
In the world of distance running, there is one name which inspires awe and world wide respect: Haile Gebrselassie (pronounced HY-LEE GEH-BRAH-SILL-AH-SEE). Unquestionably the greatest, most versatile distance runner in world history, the fabulous Ethiopian World and Olympic champion is the namesake of the first Haile Gebrselassie Marathon, which will take place on October 20, 2013 in Hawassa, Ethiopia.
There could not possibly be a more fitting namesake for a first-time marathon in Ethiopia than Gebrselassie. He not only is the greatest runner in a country with a rich road and track history, he is a sports, business and cultural icon of the first order.
Says HG Marathon Race Director, Ermias Ayele, “Haile’s personality and influence extends way beyond sports. Yes, he has won four World Championships and two Olympic gold medals and broken 27 world records, but he’s also our most famous and successful businessman. He’s the one Ethiopian everyone in the world has heard of.”
The world first heard of Haile in 1993 at the World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany when a then-unknown 20-year-old stunned the world by wrestling the 10,000-meter title from the Kenyans. It would be the first of four consecutive World Championship 10,000 crowns for the indomitable Ethiopian.
But it was in the 1996 Olympics when Gebrselassie was first introduced to the world stage when he won the 10,000 in a thrilling duel with Kenyan Paul Tergat. Then, in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Gebrselassie became only the third man in Olympic history to defend a 10,000 title when he once again narrowly beat his long-time rival, Tergat, with a memorable final 100-meter kick.
After his Olympic track career ended in Athens in 2004 (Gebrselassie was fifth to countryman Kenenisa Bekele), he turned his attention to the roads. Although Gebrselassie’s first marathon in London in 2002 ended with an uncharacteristic third-place, he made up for lost time by winning such prestigious marathons as Amsterdam, Fukuoka and Dubai, but it is in Berlin where he showed his greatness.
Gebrselassie would go on to win the Berlin Marathon a record four times, and broke the world record twice - including his all-time PR of 2:03:59, set in 2008. He also found time to run in America for the first time in 2006 when he broke his own half marathon world record in the Arizona Rock ‘n’ Roll race with an incredible time of 58:55. En route to that time, he also broke the world record for 20 kilometers with a time of 55:48.
But world records had become so commonplace that Gebrselassie (who is now 39 years old) focused his attention on his native land and his countrymen. There, in the capital of Addis Ababa, he was the point man for establishing the Great Ethiopian Run, which now numbers 35,000 runners. He gained even greater attention when he was the subject of an award-winning documentary, Endurance, which chronicled his rise from a young child growing up on a rural farm to international superstar.
A sociable, friendly man who makes an immediate connection with people from all over the world, Gebrselassie (who speaks fluent English) also began to diversify his investments within Ethiopia. Soon, he became one of the most prominent businessmen in Ethiopia with a portfolio that includes commercial real estate, hotels, a gym and various enterprises that employ about 650 Ethiopians.
“Haile has done so much not only to promote our country,” says Ayele, who has worked closely with Gebrselassie, “but to promote our culture throughout the world. He’s so much more than a great runner. He’s our ambassador to the world.”