Thu 2 Oct 2008
LONDON - World marathon record holder Haile Gebrselassie will earn a $1 million bonus if he betters his mark in Dubai on Jan. 16 next year, organisers said on Thursday.
The 35-year-old Ethiopian, who became the first man to run under two hours four minutes when he clocked 2:03:59 in Berlin last Sunday, has signed to run in Dubai for the second time.
This year he clocked 2:04:53, second only to his own previous world record of 2:04:26 set in Berlin last year.
“It’s up and down the coast road, dead flat, with just three or four turns,” race director Peter Connerton said in a statement.
“We’ll ensure the pacemakers are up to the job. Haile will get every opportunity to set another record, and win the biggest bonus in marathon running.”
