Kenenisa Bekele is one of the finest distance runners of his generation. The man has gone 3:32 at 1,500m to 2:01.42 in the marathon. Kenenisa also set WR at 5000m and 10,000m. He also won nine World XC championships.
His move to the marathon was fraught with challenges. In his first marathon, which I attended in person, he ran a 2:05.14. For a while, Kenenisa Bekele did not respect the marathon. Then, in 2019, he came within two seconds, 2 SECONDS of the world record, 2:01.39, held by one Eliud Kipchoge.
Kenenisa Bekele, 2021 BMW Berlin Marathon, photo by photorun.net for SCC Event
Can Kenenisa Bekele break the WR? I believe so, but the race is exacting, and the marathon takes no prisoners. He went out way too fast in Berlin, and at the end, Bethwel Yegon went by and he finished third, after having battled Guye Adole for much of the race.
This interview was done by Andy Edwards. Andy Edwards did this piece for his company, Trackwise. Andy did this interview with Kenenisa Bekele, post race, after Kenenisa ran 2:06.47 in third place.
