Gebrselassie Racing Marathon Course, Not Clock
On Nov. 7, Haile Gebrselassie, center, running in Manchester England last year, will run his first New York City Marathon.
By JERÉ LONGMAN
Published: October 28, 2010

Having won world championships or set world records from the metric mile to the marathon, Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia is considered by many the greatest distance runner of this or any generation.

And yet as he prepares for the New York City Marathon on Nov. 7, Gebrselassie’s world mark of 2 hours 3 minutes 59 seconds has fostered debate about competition versus records and has drawn criticism from some elite runners for the orchestrated way his fastest times over 26.2 miles were achieved.