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Haile Gabrselassie

How swiftly can the swift earn $1 million?

In Haile Gebrselassie’s case, how does $1 million in about 124 minutes sound?
The Ethiopian marathon runner who recently established a world record in the marathon, will compete January 16 in the $2-million Dubai Marathon, the world’s richest running race.

Gebrselassie, 35, became the first runner to eclipse 2 hours and 4 minutes when he broke his previous mark of 2:04:26 while winning the Berlin Marathon in 2:03:59.

Gebrselassie won the Dubai Marathon last year in 2:04:53. Gebrselassie would earn a $1 million bonus if he were to set another world record.

And if Gebrselassie sets a world marathon, his payday would equate to about $38,168 per mile.

Haile Gabrselassie

Since Haile Gabrselassie broke his own world record by about one second per mile Sunday in the Berlin Marathon, it warrants another look at the always interesting progression of the record for running 26.2 miles. I just did the number-crunching (like I had nothing better to do? Factoring in Gabrselassie’s 2:03:59 effort at the Berlin Marathon ( a 4:44 per-mile pace) here are some fun stats:

Dating to 1958 — 50 years ago — the men’s marathon record has been lowered by an average of 13.42 seconds per year.

In the past 25 years, the yearly men’s marathon record-lowering average has only been 9.5 seconds per year.

But most recently — the past 10 years — the per-year, record-lowering average has increased to 12.6 seconds per year.

Paula Ratcliffe women’s marathon record of 2:15:17 has remained intact since her performance April 13, 2003 at the London Marathon.

Here are the past 10 men’s and women’s marathon world records:

Men

2:08:18, Robert de Castella , Australia , Fukuoka Marathon, Japan, 1981-12-06
2:08:05, Steve Jones, United Kingdom, Chicago Marathon, USA 1984-10-21
2:07:12, Carlos Lopes, Portugal, Rotterdam Marathon, Netherlands ,1985-04-20
2:06:50, Belayneh Dinsamo , Ethiopia, Rotterdam Marathon, Netherlands 1988-04-17
2:06:05, Ronaldo da Costa, Brazil, Berlin Marathon, Germany, 1998-09-20
2:05:42, Khalid Khannouchi, Morocco, Chicago Marathon, USA ,1999-10-24
2:05:38, Khalid Khannouchi, United States, London Marathon, England, 2002-04-14
2:04:55, Paul Tergat, Kenya , Berlin Marathon, Germany , 2003-09-28
2:04:26, Haile Gebrselassie, Ethiopia , Berlin Marathon, Germany, 2007-09-30
2:03:59, Haile Gebrselassie , Ethiopia, Berlin Marathon, Germany, 2008-09-28

Women

2:25:41.3, Grete Waitz, Norway , New York City Marathon, 1980-10-26U
2:25:28.7 Grete Waitz, Norway, London Marathon, England 1983-04-17
2:22:43, Joan Benoit, United States, Boston Marathon, 1983-04-18
2:21:06, Ingrid Kristiansen, Norway, London Marathon, 1985-04-21-85
2:20:47, Tegla Loroupe, Kenya , Rotterdam Marathon, Netherlands 1998-04-19
2:20:43, Tegla Loroupe, Kenya, Berlin Marathon, Germany, 1999-09-26
2:19:46, Naoko Takahashi, Japan, Berlin Marathon, Germany, 2001-09-30
2:18:47, Catherine N’dereba, Kenya, Chicago Marathon, 2001-10-07
2:17:18, Paula Radcliffe, Great Britain, Chicago, 2002-10-13
2:15:25, Paula Radcliffe, Great Britain, London Marathon, England, 2003-04-13

Haile Gebrselassie’s disappointing performance and non-performance at the recent Beijing Olympics is now ancient history. Ethiopia’s most celebrated endurance runner broke his own world record by nearly one second per mile Sunday, Sep. 28, when he won the Berlin Marathon in 2 hours, 3 minutes and 59 seconds. Gebrselassie didn’t run in the Olympic marathon because of Beijing’s polluted air, and he finished sixth in the 10,000 meters.

But while winning the Berlin Marathon for the third straight year on Sunday, Gebrselassie averaged about 4 minutes and 44 seconds per mile on the flat course.

The 35-year-old Gebrselassie set the previous world marathon mark of 2:04:26 last year at the Berlin Marathon. He also won the event in 2006 in 2:05.56.

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