Haile Gebrselassie Trivia Questions

No human has run a marathon under two hours in any officially ratified race. Eliud Kipchoge’s sub-2 hour run was on a controlled course, not Gebrselassie.

He grew up in Asella, Ethiopia, in a mud hut without modern amenities. He famously ran 10 km to school each day barefoot.

After retiring, Gebrselassie became a successful businessman, running a Hyundai dealership and a multiplex cinema in Ethiopia’s capital.

While incredibly fast, no human can outrun a cheetah over 100 meters. The cheetah's top speed is over 70 mph, far beyond Gebrselassie's best.

Gebrselassie officially set 27 world records, ranging from the 5000m to the marathon, making him one of the most prolific record-breakers ever.

At the 1994 World Junior Championships, he ran 26:43.53, becoming the first to break 27 minutes in the 10,000m—a historic barrier.

His marathon debut was in London in 2002, which he won, but it was not a world record. He set his first marathon WR later that year in Berlin.

Gebrselassie retired in 2015 due to a persistent knee injury, but it was from overuse and running, not weightlifting.