The two-fastest marathon runners of all time - Haile Gebrselassie from Ethiopia (2:03:59) and Duncan Kibet of Kenya (2:04:27) - are slated to face off at the real,-Berlin Marathon on Sunday, September 20.Gebrselassie, a three-time Berlin champion, has established two world record times at the race in consecutive years (2007 and 2008). Unlike the 36-year- old Gebrselassie, Kibet, 31, only has one year of marathon running under his belt, yet he has drawn attention thanks to his 2:04:27 at the Rotterdam Marathon earlier this year.
On the women's side, last year's runner-up, Askale Tafa Magarsa from Ethiopia owns the fastest entry time at 2:21:31, while countrymen Atsede Habtamu Besuye (2:25:17) and Genet Getaneh (2:26:37) own the next two fastest times.
The men's field this year features 11 sub-2:10 marathoners, while the women's side features 9 sub-2:30 runners.
Already in its 36th year, the real,-Berlin Marathon has become known as one of the world's fastest courses. Since 1998, six world records have been broken. The course begins and ends at the Reichstag as it loops around the historic city before culminating with a pass under the Brandenberg Gate during the last mile. Last year's race boasted 35,783 runners and this year over 40,000 are expected to run.
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