FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Haile Gebrselassie to Open the London Marathon Expo
Distance running legend Haile Gebrselassie will open the 2014 Virgin Money
London Marathon Expo at London Dockland's ExCeL Exhibition Centre at 11am
tomorrow, Wednesday 9 April.
Gebrselassie, widely regarded as the greatest distance runner of all time,
will run as a pacemaker for the elite men's race on Sunday, 13 April, in
which Britain's double Olympic and world champion Mo Farah will take on the
world marathon record holder Wilson Kipsang, the world and Olympic marathon
champion Stephen Kiprotich, and the reigning London Marathon champion,
Tsegaye Kebede.
The Ethiopian won two Olympic and four world 10,000m titles during his
track career before moving to the roads where he broke the marathon world
record twice, becoming the first man in history to run 26.2 miles in under
2 hours 4 minutes.
Now 40, Gebrselassie has set 27 world records during his long career. He
holds the current track world records for one hour and 20,000 metres. His
achievements will be officially recognised by Guinness World Records at
12:00 on the Expo stage when Craig Glenday, editor in chief of the Guinness
World Record book, presents him with a certificate for the ‘Fastest run
20,000 metres'.
Around 36,000 runners are expected to visit the Excel Exhibition Centre to
register for the 2014 Virgin Money London Marathon before the Expo closes
at 5pm on Saturday, 12 April. Runners will pick up their race numbers and
Ipico Sports Timing Tags, and visit numerous stalls, displays and
exhibitions dedicated to marathon running.
Some 70,000 people visit the London Marathon exhibition each year, and this
year's Expo is expected to be the biggest ever. Visitors will be able to
wander around the many exhibitors' stands, including all the major running
brands, many charities and international races, numerous athletics
magazines, and a vast range of health and fitness products and services.
There will be top advice available at the Virgin Money London Marathon
Lounge where there's a full programme of presentations and high-energy
entertainment scheduled. Expert speakers lined up for the Expo include
marathon coach Martin Yelling, while a number of the London Marathon's
elite runners will be interviewed on stage.
More information, including opening hours, can be found here:
www.lmexpo.com
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