News
Haile Gebreselasie sets new World 25 k record, or did he?
How can a runner set a record for 25 km in a 20 km race?
2006-03-17
Andy Milroy a senior member of the Association of Road Running Statisticians has
questioned the 25 kilometres road race record set by Haile Gebrselassie last
Sunday in the Netherlands.At the Alphen 20K held on 12 Mar 2006, Haile Gebreselasie ran a 1:11:37
for 25 km, well under the previously fastest reported time of 1:12:45 set
by Paul Kosgei (KEN) at the Berlin (GER) 25 km on 09 May 2004.
How can a
runner set a record for 25 km in a 20 km race? The 25 km "race" was started
prior to the start of the 20 km race with a small group of pace makers plus Gebreselasie covering the additional 5 km over a two loop course before
joining the 20 km course. A narrow passage way allowed Gebreselasie to
pass by the mass of runners awaiting the start of the 20 km race. As
Gebreselasie passed the start line for the 20 km race, the 20 km race was
started. i.e., at the 5 km mark, Gebreselasie acquired a new set of pace
makers.
Two sets of pacemaker
Gebreselasie was paced. There is no question of that. In this
case, there were TWO sets of pace makers. The first set was entered in
the same competition as Gebreselasie and started at the same
time.
However, the second set of pace makers was NOT entered in the
same competition as Gebreselasie and did NOT start at the same time. The
bottom line is that Gebreselasie was paced by runners NOT entered in the
same competition as Gebreselasie. This might seem a minor issue,
insufficient to invalidate the mark as a record. However, it is both a very
important issue and also is a very dangerous precedent.
This
strategy, if accepted, could be extended to provide a half marathon race in a
marathon that would utilize the last half of the marathon course AND would
be started just as the lead pack passed the starting line for the half
marathon, thereby providing fresh pace makers for the second half of a
marathon. This strategy alters entirely the basis upon which pacemakers
operate in a race. A pace maker is normally entered in the race and starts
at the start. He/she is also a potential competitor, regardless of
any proclamation that he/she is simply a pace maker. Such pace makers
have gone on to win the competition that they were supposed to merely
pace.
Illegal aid
A pace maker under this new strategy cannot win the competition
since they did not start at the start line for the competition, i.e., Salim
Kipsang (KEN) was NOT a competitor in the 25 km since he did not start at the
start of the 25 km and did not run the full 25 km course. And yet, in
this case, he clearly paced Gebreselasie for part of the 25 km race. How far
he paced Gebreselasie is irrelevant, any illegal aid invalidates a potential
record performance.
The only conclusion is that the 25 km race violates
the rule on bona fide competition and marks from this "race" cannot not be
recognized as legitimate for world record purposes.
DAVID MARTIN
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