BERLIN (CBS Sports) — World-record holder Haile Gebrselassie has won the Berlin Marathon for the fourth straight time despite struggling in the last third of a race run in sunny, warm weather.
The Ethiopian was on a pace to break his record for the first 18 miles on Sunday but slowed once his last pacemaker dropped out. Gebrselassie was gritting his teeth by the time he finished under the Brandenburg Gate in 2 hours, 6 minutes, 8 seconds.
Last year, Gebrselassie became the first man to run under 2 hours, 4 minutes, finishing in 2:03:59 to slash 27 seconds off his previous mark.
Francis Kiprop of Kenya was second in 2:07.03 and Negari Therfa of Ethiopia was third in 2:07.41.
Atsede Besuye of Ethiopia won the women’s race in 2:24.47.