Haile Gebresilassie is still Undefeated in Half-Marathon!

Haile Gebrselassie, the double Olympic gold medalist and multiple World record-holder from Ethiopia, won the second annual NYC Half-Marathon Presented by NIKE today, clocking 59:24, the second-fastest Half-Marathon time ever on North American soil.

The pace was quick from the start as “Geb,” American 10K and 10,000-meter champion Abdi Abdirahman, and defending Boston Marathon and LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon champ Robert Cheruiyot opened with a 14:11 5K (4:33-per-mile pace) despite the hilly Central Park terrain.

“It wasn’t what I was expecting, those first few miles,” said Gebrselassie, 34, who thanked Abdirahman and Cheruiyot for setting a fast early pace. “I thought maybe we’d just run easy in a big pack, then start to run hard later.” An unexpected break in the warm, humid weather of the past week made for near-ideal summer racing conditions. As the lead trio exited the park onto Seventh Avenue at 7.5 miles (12K), Cheruiyot reached for a drink at a fluid station. Abdirahman seized the opportunity to bolt into the lead. Gebrselassie covered the move. “When I caught him, he asked me to go,” Gebrselassie recounted, flashing his trademark smile. “I thought maybe he wanted me to be the rabbit, but I felt good, so I went. He didn’t catch me again.”

The runners continued south through the heart of Times Square, past the giant NASDAQ screen flashing WABC Channel 7 race coverage, west onto 42nd Street, and then south again at 15K (9.3 miles) onto the West Side Highway for the drive to the finish just north of historic Battery Park. Gebrselassie maintained his lead with apparent ease, cruising to victory more than a minute in front of Abdirahman, 30, who ran a personal-best 1:00:29. Abdirahman will compete in the 10,000 meters at the IAAF World Championships in Osaka later this month.

Only Gebrselassie has run faster in North America – he clocked 58:55 in Phoenix early last year – and collected his eighth Half Marathon victory in as many attempts over the distance.
Cheruiyot, 28, was third in 1:00:58 and was transported to a hospital for observation due to dizziness; he was later released. "He felt weak and a little confused at the finish," said Cheruiyot's manager, Federico Rosa, who accompanied him to the hospital. "He went to the hospital as a precaution. He was there for about an hour, and everything was okay."(IAAF)