Wanjiru sets eyes on Gebrselassie’s marathon record

By Robin Toskin

Olympic marathon champion, Samuel Wanjiru has made Haile Gebrselassie’s world record (2:03:59) his top target at the Berlin Marathon in September.

But first the 22-year-old wants to dispense with the London Marathon in April and half marathons in Portugal and Dubai in February and March.

Wanjiru

Wanjiru, who admires former world record holder and countryman Paul Tergat, hopes to follow in his footsteps to shatter Haile’s record set at the same course on September 28 last year. Tergat ran 2:04:55 world record in 2003 in Berlin before it was decimated by Gebrselassie in 2007 and lowered again last year.

"It is fair that I set my targets early and one of them is to break the marathon record in Berlin in September," Wanjiru said in Nairobi when he and four other gold medalists received the Kenya Hero Trophy from the Return of the Man Eaters of Tsavo Foundation for his exploits at the Beijing Games. He became the first Kenyan to win an Olympic gold in the gruelling 42km race. Wanjiru, who clocked 2:06:32, an Olympic record, in winning gold is not under illusions over the magnitude of the task ahead.

He said, "The first step would be to record a personal best in London. If I register good time, say 2:04:00, then it will be an indicator of progress towards my target."

Wanjiru’s best time remains 2:05:24 at the London Marathon last April 13.

"Since I took to marathon, I have not tackled a flat course and perhaps Berlin, which is flat, and good weather could provide the perfect forum to attempt the world record," he added.

Wanjiru is training at Ngong’, the outskirts of Nairobi, in readiness for the half marathon in Portugal and Dubai hoping to shed off two kilogrammes gained during the festive December holidays that has seen him soar to 54kg.