In sporting terms it’s a rivalry to match any in athletics. In human terms it’s a friendship that stretches beyond sport and across national boundaries.

Kenya’s Paul Tergat and Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia, two of the greatest distance runners of all time, will clash for the 26th time on Sunday as they bid to claim their first Flora London Marathon titles after more than a decade of personal battles at the very highest levels of cross country, track and road racing.

Gebrselassie, the multi-Olympic and world champion at 10,000m, and Tergat, five-time world cross country champion and the world marathon record holder, first met at the world cross country championships in March 1993.

On Sunday, 14 years, numerous championships and a brace of world class road races later, they will meet for the first time in five years with the Ethiopian holding a 22-3 lead over his closest opponent and great friend.

“I think our rivalry has been good for the sport,” reflected the 37-year-old Kenyan today as he and Gebrselassie looked back at their enduring rivalry and ahead to assess their prospects for Sunday’s race.

“It comes from big championships where we were carrying our country’s flags. We happened to come along at the same time, but now it’s almost like we are not rivals at all. Perhaps that was our time.”

The smiling Gebreselassie could only agree with his friend. “These days we try to help each other because there are others trying to attack these old men,” laughed the 34-year-old, knowing that an array of younger and hugely talented runners will line-up to test them at the start of Sunday’s race.

“Now we come together and we have to fight somebody else. I am still motivated by the younger athletes. They push me to do a lot more.

“Paul is a friend and when we meet each other it’s great. One thing we both understand - this is sport. Sport is about showing your ability and effort. But outside of sport, why fight? We don’t need it.”

The friendship between these two great east African runners is clearly genuine. But, whatever they say, once the racing shoes are on there is obviously still a keen rivalry. Tergat set the current world record of 2:04:55 in 2003 and it’s no secret that Gebrselassie would love to claim it.

PHOTO: Paul Tergat and Haile Gebrselassie (Courtesy of Paul-Tergat.net)

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