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Paul Tergat to Run the Anniversary Marathon in Berlin

real,- BERLIN-MARATHON succeeds in committing the second fastest marathon runner of all times

2003-07-14

The Kenyan Paul Tergat is without a doubt one of the greatest runners of all times. His accumulation of successes could hardly be more impressive:

• He was the five-time cross country world champion in series from 1995-1999.
• He has an accumulation of track bests and successes spanning an incredible spectrum from 7:28.70 for the 3000m, to 12:49.87 for the 5000m and the then-world record of 26:27.85 for the 10000m.
• In four international championships (1996 and 2000 Olympics and two world championship finals) he “only“ had to admit defeat to Haile Gebrselassie.
• He also has demonstrated his strength on the streets. He was two-time world champion in the half marathon and holds the world record for this discipline in 59:17.

In 2001 he switched completely to road races, and for the first time included the marathon. Paul Tergat did not take the marathon world by storm, but carefully and slowly tested it out. After two 2:08 races in London and Chicago, the breakthrough was accomplished in London in 2002. In an extraordinary race, he was able to beat his long time adversary Haile Gebrselassie on his marathon debut, but had to defer to the current marathon world record holder, Khalid Khannouchi. His time of 2:05:48 remains the second fastest time ever recorded.

Paul Tergat has still not been able to win any of the five marathons he has run. He hopes to make it up in Berlin, and maybe he will also succeed in bringing the marathon race to a new dimension on the course famous for its fast pace. Race Director Horst Milde is thrilled "to be able to see one of the greatest runners of all time in Berlin. Following Ronaldo da Costa, Tegla Loroupe and Naoko Takahashi, he also could be capable of writing running history in Berlin."

The real,- BERLIN-MARATHON is among the largest marathon races in the world and has already reached the capacity with 35,000 participants. The director of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Simon Rattle, together with the mayor of Berlin, Klaus Wowereit will give the starting signal on September 28.