Mekonnen aims for Ethiopian record - Printable Version +- Running Information Forums (https://www.time-to-run.com/forums) +-- Forum: Events Worldwide (https://www.time-to-run.com/forums/Forum-Events-Worldwide) +--- Forum: Pre & Post Event News (https://www.time-to-run.com/forums/Forum-Pre-Post-Event-News) +--- Thread: Mekonnen aims for Ethiopian record (/Thread-Mekonnen-aims-for-Ethiopian-record)

Mekonnen aims for Ethiopian record - TheEd - 24-10-2014 None other than the great Haile Gebrselassie, the current Ethiopian record holder in the marathon, has encouraged Tsegaye Mekonnen to attack that same mark in the BMW Frankfurt Marathon on Sunday. It´s also thanks to Haile that Tsegaye has chosen Frankfurt for his latest marathon outing. The 19 year-old teenage sensation clocked a stunning though unofficial world junior best of 2:04:32 when he took the Dubai Marathon in January. Now he hopes to improve this mark and has also set his sights on the personal record of Ethiopia’s superstar: Gebrselassie ran the current national best of 2:03:59 in Berlin in 2008, which was a world record at the time. While Tsegaye Mekonnen hopes to become the first non-Kenyan men’s champion since 2001 there is also the possibilty that Germany’s oldest city marathon will have its first double Ethiopian win on Sunday. Aberu Kebede and Meselech Melkamu are strong contenders in the women’s race. They all appeared confident in Frankfurt. Relaxed and looking ready for the challenge, Tsegaye Mekonnen talked to a group of journalists through an interpreter just hours after his arrival in Germany’s financial capital. After winning in Dubai Mekonnen ran his second marathon in London in April. After the relatively short preparation period he finished fifth in this high-class event with 2:08:06. It was there that he finally met his idol: Haile Gebrselassie. The superstar surprisingly told him not to run Berlin but to go to Frankfurt for further improvement. “Haile told me that Wilson Kipsang ran two great races in Frankfurt,” said Mekonnen. Kipsang established the two fastest times ever run in Frankfurt with 2:04:57 in 2010 and 2:03:42 a year later. “Haile argued that beyond the 30 k mark it would be easier to run well in Frankfurt than in Berlin,” Mekonnen explained further. The fastest teenager ever in the marathon intends to improve his unofficial world junior record (the IAAF does not list junior bests in the marathon). “On Sunday I want to break at least one record: I would be very proud if I could break Haile’s Ethiopian record, but a personal best would also be a success for me,” said the youngster. “I am feeling stronger now than before the Dubai Marathon. I believe something is possible for me on Sunday.” The reason why he is in the best form ever has to do with his success in Dubai. In the United Arab Emirates Mekonnen earned 200,000 Dollar, the highest prize money available in the sport. “The win in Dubai has changed my life. I was able to buy a house in Addis Abeba, I bought a car to be able to go to the training venues with it and I stopped school to concentrate fully on running. It is a completely different life for me now.” When training near Addis Abeba Tsegaye Mekonnen regularly meets Aberu Kebede, who is the fastest woman entered into the BMW Frankfurt Marathon with a personal best of 2:20:30. “I believe that at present Aberu is the strongest Ethiopian woman marathon runner. I think she can run very well on Sunday,” said Mekonnen. “I have thought a long time where to run my autumn marathon. Berlin was an option, but I decided to come to Frankfurt,” said Kebede, who ran her personal best when winning Berlin in 2012. Her training partners Tirfi Tsegaye and Feyse Tadese took first and second in Berlin a month ago. Tsegaye clocked a personal best and a world lead of 2:20:18 while Tadese finished just nine seconds behind. However, reports from their coaches suggest that it was Kebede who was the strongest in training. “It is my aim to break my personal best on Sunday,” said Kebede. “I believe it is possible to run even sub 2:20 if weather conditions are fine.” With Meselech Melkamu there is another Ethiopian top marathon runner in the field. “We will work together for a fast time,” said Kebede. Melkamu is Frankfurt’s course record holder with a marathon debut time of 2:21:01 from 2012. “Two years ago the weather was very cold here. If conditions are good on Sunday then I want to improve my personal best,” said Melkamu, who will change her hair colour to golden a day before the race. When she won in 2012 in Frankfurt she had chosen that colour as well. “Originally it was my plan to prepare for the Dubai Marathon in January. But my form was so good that I decided to run an autumn marathon and come back to Frankfurt,” said Meselech Melkamu.