Haile Gebrselassie, arguably the greatest distance runner in history, announced his retirement from racing after Sunday's Great Manchester Run, a 10K in England.
"I'm retiring from competitive running, not from running. You cannot stop running, this is my life," Health - Injuries after finishing 16th, in 30:05, at Sunday's race.
Gebrselassie, 42, won two Olympic (1996 and 2000) and nine world titles in a career that lasted more than 20 years. He also set more than 20 world records on the track and roads.
Gebrselassie was in the vanguard of young East Africans in the early and mid 1990s who dramatically lowered distance world records on the track. In 1987, Said Aouita of Morocco ran 12:58.39 to become the first to break 13:00 for 5000 meters. His record stood until 1994, when Gebrselassie ran 12:56.96. By 1998, he had dropped the world record to 12:39.36. (Gebrselassie's protege, Kenenisa Bekele, set the current record of 12:37.35 in 2005. Gebrselassie remains second on the all-time list at 5000 and 10,000 meters.)
Gebrselassie will also be remembered for his tremendous range. He set world records at distances from 2000 meters indoors to the marathon. His second world record in the marathon, 2:03:59 at the 2008 Berlin Marathon, made him the first under 2:04, and remains the Ethiopian record. He won world titles at distances as short as the 1500 meters indoors and as long as the half marathon.
Since turning 40 in April 2013, Gebrselassie set masters world records of 47:00 for 10 miles and 1:01:09 for the half marathon. Until Sunday, he also held the masters world 10K record, but at the Great Manchester Run, Shoes & Gear to take 12 seconds off of Gebrselassie's masters mark.
Gebrselassie should find plenty of ways to stay busy now that he'll no longer train to race at a world-class level. He owns several business in Ethiopia and employs more than 100 people. He has frequently spoken about getting involved in Ethiopian politics.
In 2010, Gebrselassie announced his retirement to a stunned press corps on the morning that he dropped out of that year's We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. Gebrselassie wound up un-reitiring a month later. Sunday's retirement is more likely to stick.
"I'm very happy to stop here. I knew this was going to be the last one," he said after the Great Manchester Run.
The video below shows, with an appropriately artistic tweak, Gebrselassie's epic last-lap duel with Kenyan rival Paul Tergat The Spring Marathons of 2025.
Scott is a veteran running, fitness, and health journalist who has held senior editorial positions at Runner’s World and Running Times. Much of his writing translates sport science research and elite best practices into practical guidance for everyday athletes. He is the author or coauthor of several running books, including Running Shoes - Gear, Advanced Marathoning, and Races - Places. All About 75 Hard Slate, The Atlantic, the Washington Post, and other members of the sedentary media. His lifetime running odometer is past 110,000 miles, but he’s as much in love as ever.
