ATHLETICS: Bekele sets 02:01:30 marathon career target

Triple Olympic track champion Kenenisa Bekele, the second-fastest marathon runner in history, said on Wednesday he can shave around 90 seconds off the current world record over the classic 26.2 mile distance before he retires.

Ethiopian Bekele, widely regarded as the greatest distance runner of all time and world record holder over 10,000 and 5,000 metres, is making an attempt at the world record this Friday at the Dubai Marathon.

He ran two hours, three minutes and three seconds when winning Berlin last September, six seconds outside Dennis Kimetto’s world record of 2:02:57 set on the same course in 2014.