Haile Gebrselassie ran the fast ever ten miles on the road on Sunday, as compatriots Deratu Tulu and Berhane Adere ensured it was a very successful weekend for Ethiopian athletes. Haile finished the Tilburg Ten Mile race in the Netherlands in 44 minutes and 24 seconds, a good 2 minutes and 29 seconds ahead of his nearest rival. Haile’s time was also 21 seconds better than that of Keynan Paul Koech, who clocked a time of 44:45 nearly eight years ago at Zaandam.

Speaking after the race, Haile, who is now preparing for his second marathon which will take place on 16th October in the ING Amsterdam Marathon, said

“I knew I could run but not yet a World best. Afterwards I felt I could run faster but the weather circumstances were not ideal. With 26 degrees it was hot therefore I sought always the shadow on the road but it was not always there. I also missed somebody who could press me. I was too early alone leading.”

Haile also that he was inspired by the World record at 10,000 metres that compatriot Kenenisa Bekele ran at the Van Damme Memorial at Brussels ten days earlier. 

“Now he inspired me just as I did him earlier.”

Before the ten mile race there was a ‘women only’ 10 kilometre run, in which Bizunesh Bekele came second with a time of 32 minutes and 19 seconds.

Meanwhile, Derartu Tulu won the Hydro Active Women’s Challenge in London’s Hyde Park with a time of 15 minutes and 30 seconds. The double Olympic 10,000 champion’s mark was lower than the 2003 world record of 14 minutes 51 seconds, which is held jointly by her cousin Tirunesh Dibaba and the UK’s Paula Radcliffe.

"I'm very happy with the time as I haven't trained since the World Championships," said Tulu, who finished fourth in the Helsinki marathon last month. I'm even more pleased to win because I've been finishing second and third a lot recently," Derartu said.

And finally, over in Berlin, Berhane Adere came in first place in the Women’s 5000 metres at the ISTAF Berlin with a time of 14 minutes 47.56 seconds, more than ten seconds ahead of her nearest rival.

ENDS