MELBOURNE – Peerless Ethiopian runner Haile Gebrselassie defied a serious case of jetlag to claim a commanding victory in the inaugural Great Australian Run on Sunday.
The two-time Olympic 10,000m champion and reigning marathon world record holder arrived in Melbourne from Addis Ababa on Friday morning and woke with a headache after only managing a couple of hours’ sleep before the 15km road race.
Kenyan Patrick Makau stayed on Gebrselassie’s shoulder for much of the race through Melbourne’s inner southern suburbs, before the Ethiopian made his move at the 11km mark, going on to win in 42 minutes and 40 seconds.
Makau was second in 43:15, while Collis Birmingham overtook fellow Australian Craig Mottram in the closing stages to claim third place in 43:35.
Mottram, racing for the first time since splitting with longtime coach Nic Bideau after the Beijing Olympics, was fourth in 44:08.
Disregarding his fall in the 1,500m at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games, it was the first time in up to six years that Mottram had been beaten home by another Australian.
Mottram was in a three-man breakaway with Gebrselassie for the first five kilometres – his preferred distance on the track – before the two Africans broke away.
“After 11Ks I decided to stop (Makau) there, otherwise it was just too dangerous if I brought him up to the last kilometre,” said the 35-year-old Gebrselassie.
“I expected to run a good time but when I woke up this morning I didn’t feel so good because of the lack of sleep.
“I should have come five or six days ago but I made a mistake because I only arrived on Friday morning.”
It was Gebrselassie’s first race in Australia since his dramatic victory over Kenyan Paul Tergat in the 10,000m at the Sydney Olympics.
“I expected (the jetlag) and I said to myself that I can handle it, but it was not easy when I came here,” said the Ethiopian, who was to fly straight back home on Sunday night.
“The next time I come to Australia I have to come early.”
Gebrselassie’s next race is the Dubai marathon in January, where he hopes to challenge his own world record of 2:03:59.
Kenyan marathon star Catherine Ndereba was a commanding winner of the women’s Great Australian Run on Sunday, running on her own for much of the way to clock a time of 50:43.
New Zealand’s Alice Mason was second in 51:27 and third-placed Lisa Weightman was the leading Australian in 51:31.
Her better-credentialled countrywoman Benita Johnson was fifth in 52:09, one place ahead of reigning Beijing marathon champion Constantina Dita of Romania.
Ndereba had finished second behind Dita in Beijing, but she always looked the likely winner in Sunday’s race.
“I was trying to just keep my pace,” said Ndereba.
“It’s four weeks since I ran my last marathon and I was looking to press myself.”
AAP