Above: Haile Gebrselassie from Ethiopia celebrates as he wins
the Dubai Marathon in Dubai, United Arab Emirates Friday,
Jan. 16, 2009. Gebrselassie finished in 2 hours, 5 minutes,
29 seconds. (AP)

From Times Online

Rick Broadbent
January 19, 2009

In his darkest moments last year, when it was difficult to breathe, Haile Gebrselassie’s family urged him to stop running. His response was a panoramic smile and pithy mantra. “If I stop I think maybe I’ll die,” he said. “Without running there is no life.” Now, having beaten famine, asthma and the best athletes in the world, he is planning to beat the taunt of time by winning gold at the London Olympics.

He will be 39 by 2012, but the Ethiopian is better than ever, becoming, by one second, the first man to run the marathon in under 2 hours and four minutes in Berlin last September. He predicts that his mark will be cut to a staggering 1hr 58min within 20 years. “There are no limits,” he said. “Believe me.” Many do, which is why they are predicting that there will be a sporting afterlife as his country’s President. Read more.