Dubai: The official catalogue for the 2011 Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon features a man who won't even be running this year.
Probably goes to show just how significant the involvement of Haile Gebrselassie has been in making this event a success for the past three years.
Dubai will definitely miss him this year and in an exclusive interview, the Ethiopian long-distance runner told XPRESS that while he misses racing in Dubai, he is likely to be back next year.
"Of course, I miss being in Dubai," he said.
"This is the time of the year when I am usually there. But then, I just couldn't run two marathons so close to each other," he added, referring to the New York Marathon which he ran on November 7.
Gebrselassie, however, revealed that he is likely to be back in Dubai in 2012 given that it is the year of the London Olympics.
"That's a big goal for me, the Olympics, so I have to pace myself carefully. This year, I have the Tokyo Marathon on February 27 and then the Vienna Half Marathon on April 17. The rest of the year is still undecided, but I'll need to get another marathon under my belt before the Olympics.
"That's why I think I could be back in Dubai next year since the course is so flat and fast and the timing of it would suit my schedule," he said.
Emotional decision
The world record holder was in the news following the New York Marathon when he announced his retirement after pulling out midway before doing a volte-face. "It was an emotional decision, to be honest. It was just the way I stopped. My friends and all my Ethiopian fans back home told me to reconsider my decision and so I announced my comeback.
"But truth be told, I had only announced my retirement from competitive running and not from running altogether. Anyways, I can see that the speed is still there as I train for the Tokyo Marathon, so it is just a question of keeping myself fit and ready till the Olympics," he said.
Gebrselassie's absence means, the likes of Chala Dechase, who finished second last year and Eshetu Wendimu, who finished third, won't be seen egging anyone on to the finish line. Instead they will have their own pacemakers, as they try to grab the substantial purse on offer.
Wendimu, one of Gebrselassie's favourite pacemakers and the man who helped the Ethiopian legend break the world record in Berlin in 2008, said: "I enjoyed setting the pace for Haile, It was very fast last year, but we just missed it. I am hoping for a good time this year as well."
Dechase agreed: "It would have been good to have Haile but that's ok. The field, even without him is good and we expect stiff competition from the Kenyans," he said.
