Haile Gebrselassie Quotations

I have to change a lot of things before I become a good marathon runner.

I feel a social responsibility. We need to open people's eyes. There is a lack of education in Ethiopia.

Many people know that Ethiopia is poor. When I break a world record, maybe people get to know something else about Ethiopia, something good. We can't make planes or cars, we don't have the materials. We do what we can.

If you're planning only to make money and nothing else, you'll be broke.

He was not a runner, my father, but he was quick. I always remember it was very difficult to escape from him when he was angry. If he wanted to beat us he would always catch us. Even me, he could always catch me.

When you run the marathon, you run against the distance, not against the other runners and not against the time.

Once you have commitment, you need the discipline and hard work to get you there.

First, do enough training. Then believe in yourself and say: I can do it. Tomorrow is my day. And then say: the person in front of me, he is just a human being as well; he has two legs, I have two legs, that is all. That is mentally how you prepare.

You need three things to win: discipline, hard work and, before everything maybe, commitment. No one will make it without those three. Sport teaches you that.

The marathon always starts after 30K. That's where the problems start. You start without any problems, without any pain. All the pain comes after 30K. Sometimes, it's possible to have pain even in the finger.

In the rainy season, sometimes to get to the first lesson we had to run really quick, because we had to cross the river to school and we'd have to go up and down the bank to find a place to cross because there is no bridge.

In the marathon a crazy athlete can just keep pushing from the beginning, at a championship you don't need a time just to win the race.

I'm lucky. The best possible place in the world for training is Addis Ababa, so I am home all the time except when I am racing. I like to be there, near my family, my kids, also the real estate business I run with my wife.

If your body is damaged, wounded, it can be fixed, but if inside, mentally, you are wounded you cannot fix it, it's hard.

I haven't done a marathon for a long time. So we'll see. I will need good luck.

You must do as your people do. If my people are poor, I must be poor. People ask me, 'Why don't you find a personal coach or a private car?' I can't. Then I won't be part of my people.

My father thought sport was something fun - he didn't know it was a way to make money. Then I won a Mercedes at the world championships and I gave it to him. From the moment it arrived my father said: 'Good, you can support not just yourself but me too'.

I wanted to experience New York, to look up and see buildings.

For me a day without training is like a day without eating.

When I had no shoes I was comfortable - I used to run barefoot. When I wore shoes it was difficult. To run in shoes was ok, but at the beginning of my career it was hard.

In my life I do a lot of things but I never forget my training.

My father didn't think running was sensible. He told me running is just wasting time.

The more you are getting older, you lose a little something. Of course there is another advantage, because of your long experience you can use it.

I will always listen to my coaches. But first I listen to my body. If what they tell me suits my body, great. If my body doesn't feel good with what they say, then always my body comes first.

When you promise something, you must fulfill it.

You know the marathon in my country is just exceptional. It's like soccer in England. If England win the world cup and Ethiopia win the marathon - it's the same.

Life is a kind of struggle. Life is a sort of fight.

At the end of the day, people want to see how fast you run.

I was the kind of child who worked hard every day with the cows and sheep - I was a very aggressive boy.

I think if you come first with a new world record, that is the best.

I used to run to school, 10k every day. And this at altitude, perfect preparation, really.

That is not enough. Sport has been great for me, a great learning place that if you want to achieve you can, even if you are from the poorest part of Africa.

What can you do if a part of it is uphill? You can't work out another route. You've just got to run the one they give you. But they tell me London is a nice course. Even the cobbles, I hope, are not very much of a problem for me.

I remember in particular my first victory when I achieved a very fast time in what were perfect conditions but since then the wind has always been a factor against me.

Always, if you win mentally, you can win physically as well.

When I run in Ethiopia, I look out and see eucalyptus trees and rivers.

I can't change everything by myself but I can be one of the people who are trying to change the situation.

Eradicate poverty. This is all that matters in my country. When I am out training I think about this a lot; when I am running it is going over in my mind. As a country we cannot move forward until we eradicate poverty.

My school was six miles away from where I lived on the farm. I had to walk and run, there and back every day, through gorges and over rivers. If I was late, there was a very big stick waiting for me.

I love running and I will always run.

I want to avoid injuries by running only road.

It is not my duty to spend my money in my country, but it is what I want to do. There is nowhere else I would like to invest.

Like some high official, you have to tell your brain: 'Do it. Come on. I have to do it.'

When I wake up at 5 in the morning is it just to jog? Definitely not, I give it all of my efforts.

Since I achieved something, running has exploded in my country. For me sometimes it is difficult even to know who the athletes are who are competing at the highest level. There are thousands.

Some people start a sport just to reduce weight, or some say, 'My doctor ordered me to run and do exercise', and for others, they run for completely different benefits. But it is not like that with sport. We need to eat, we need to rest, but also we need to run.

If I don't train enough, of course I'm nervous.

Athletes have to be confident and I am thinking like that.

Why should I say I will retire in three or four years? You retire the very moment you utter those words.

You know for me when I promise something I want to deliver. If you don't, you have to disappear.

I wanted to be famous. I wanted people to talk about me.

If you are a really good marathoner, you have to run New York.

I always tell young athletes the same thing, 'Wherever you go, whatever you do, what must your top priority be? Running.'

I have seen things few of my countrymen have. The first time I went on an aeroplane I couldn't work out how the lavatories worked up in the sky.

When we race in London a world record will be the last thing on our minds.

This hand is not very active always, because it was in this hand that I carried my books. My carrying hand was always my strongest. Now I think my other hand has developed more muscles from signing all those autographs.

This is what I wanted. They tell me that London is the best field in history. I wanted to be part of that. Because everyone will be there it will be a wonderful challenge for me. You can see the best runners, how they look, how they run. For me to beat the best is what counts.

You know, I want to help my country. Definitely I can help them, simply by winning races. Sure, they can follow my path to a good career. But for me it is not enough. I want to be more than that. In everything I want to be a role model.

At the moment I am a little bit politician, yes. I think that could be my next step. It is not because I want power, it is because of what I think I could do for the people.

I can learn a lot from Paul. I need him to get his opinions. There are other good runners ? the Olympic and world champion and the London Marathon winner ? but with Paul there, it's good for us.

I am still chasing the world record but London will certainly not be the place.

That was our plan. We didn't expect the first part of the race to be fast. Our plan was for the second part. My plan was to run under 59 minutes and that is what we did.

When we parade in London next month, a world record will be the last thing on our minds, more so given the strong field that will be running.

Oh yes, yes they did, but it came from a long time ago, it was not possible for me to change it. Me and the style, we have grown together.

I keep on going because of the passion of the track. It is addictive. It?s not for money because I have enough and I am making even more with my investments and businesses. It?s simply the thrill of racing.

I needed Paul in the race, not only because he is my competitor but because he is my friend. When I see him run, I can learn a lot from him. When he ran the world record, I learnt from how he ran and how he prepared for it. I need him to get experience.

I love the music. It gives you energy.

If it happens, wonderful. If not, what can I do?. This is not my first competition. It's not my last competition. I will try for it next time. We'll see.

I became serious about it over the last eight months because I have to be careful with the things that I have to do. You have to concentrate on everything. I concentrate on longer training. We'll see Sunday, it will be something interesting.

I find the business world hard.

I'm a runner first before anything else.

You lose the speed before the stamina.

Schooling is so important.

Considering that the race is star-studded no runner will be willing to set the pace for the others. This is why a record will be almost impossible.

When you talk about world record times, you have to understand that everything must be perfect the weather, the course, the temperature. It is not always enough to be in good shape.

What is important is to win.

Since I achieved something, running has exploded in my country.

I want to go down in history.

I'm retiring from competitive running, not from running. You cannot stop running, this is my life,

Athletics is in my blood.

Being a great athlete is something that requires a lot of training and dedication, it does not come as easily as some people may think.

Age for me is just a number.

I know what I want when I start a marathon: to win! But what do you want? Make sure you're clear in advance and don't go out too fast.

All athletes need three things: commitment, discipline and hard work. Without that it's hard to keep running.