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Training for Dubai, Gebrselassie & Kiplagat Face Different Challenges

Posted January 7th, 2008 at 3:34 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons

Lornah Kiplagat and Pieter Langerhorst in New York City in 2007 With the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon looming in just 11 days, Haile Gebrselassie and Lornah Kiplagat are making their final preprations, each facing their own special challenges.

Gebrselassie, the world record holder and #2-ranked marathoner in the world last year in Race Results Weekly’s rankings, is dreaming of the $1 million bonus on the line for toppling his own world best of 2:04:26 set in Berlin last September. Well, at least his Dutch manager Jos Hermens is.

“I and he are certain he can do under 2:04,” Hermens is quoted by race organizers as saying last week.

But Gebrselassie himself is more circumspect. “Yes, I did 2:04 in Berlin,” Gebrselassie told race organizers via telephone over the weekend. “But everything was perfect, the weather, the course, the pacemaking. Sure, it’s possible to do under 2:04, but everything has to be perfect again.”

To break the 2:04 barrier would require Gebrselassie to run back-to-back 62 minute half-marathons, a per kilometer average of two minutes and 52 seconds, or four minutes and 44 seconds per mile. The weather should cooperate, with temperatures in the 13° to 14°C range (55° to 60°F). Gebrselassie likes slightly warmer weather than most marathon runners.

“That would be great, wonderful,” he said.

As for Kiplagat, the reigning world road running and cross country champion, her final days of training for Dubai have been both nerve-wracking and dangerous. The Dutchwoman’s training camp in Iten, Kenya, is one of the hot spots for Kenya’s tribal violence.

“We have had a very tought time in Iten and several houses of athletes were burnt,” wrote Kiplagat’s husband and manager, Pieter Langerhorst, in an e-mail message to Race Results Weekly. “The houses of Peter Lomuria, Helena Kirop and Samson Chebii are burnt and they had to find alternatives. The fire came as close as 50 meter from the HATC.”

The “HATC” is Kiplagat’s High Altitude Training Center, about 30 km (19 miles) from Eldoret. It had been mostly occupied recently by foreign guests, but Langerhorst worked with the Dutch government to evacuate them.

“All the guests are evacuated with a chartered flight and all foreign athletes are back in their countries,” Langerhorst wrote.

Kiplagat has had to scale back her training to conform with the realities of the situation on the ground. Accompanied by a friend visiting from New York City, Toby Tanser, she is doing one run early in the morning then using the HATC gym in the afternoon. Langerhorst is working on other logistics.

“No people were injured or died in Iten but we were not able to travel at all,” he reported. “There were roadblocks everywhere and now we have run out of fuel, food and drinking water.” Langerhost reported last Saturday that he planned to go to Eldoret on Sunday to get food and water.

Like Kiplagat, Gebrselassie is dependent on the Nairboi airport, too. That’s because his top pacemaker, Rodgers Rop, needs to catch his flight from there to Dubai.

“I don’t understand what’s going on,” said Gebrselassie of the situation in Kenya. “We don’t expect it in Kenya. It’s so sad. Normally Kenya is more democratic than the rest of Africa. It makes me feel very bad.”

PHOTO: Pieter Langerhorst and Lornah Kiplagat in New York City in 2007 (Photo by Jane Monti)