Five-time world track gold medallist to attack Haile Gebrselassie’s world over-40 10km record at the Morrisons Great Manchester Run

Bernard Lagat says he will be targeting Haile Gebrselassie’s world over-40 10km record when he makes his road race debut over the distance at the Morrisons Great Manchester Run on May 10.

The 40-year-old, who has won two world outdoor and three world indoor track titles as well as Olympic silver and bronze, has already set age-group world records at one mile, 3000m and two miles on the track this year and could add a road mark when he goes in Europe’s largest 10km race.

Gebrselassie ran 28:00 in the 2013 event and Lagat said: “That is a really quick time but it is good to shoot at something.

“I am going to train hard with my coach in Flagstaff, Arizona, and I think I will shoot for that record.”

He added: “It is not going to be easy. It is like running two 14 minute 5km races back-to-back. That is something fast, but I will give it my best shot.”

Lagat has twice raced 5km on the roads as well as one half marathon, in which he went through 10km in 29:40.

“My manager, James Templeton, told me about the history of the race, that runners like Haile Gebrselassie and Kenenisa Bekele had won it,” the American said about the Manchester event. “It is a tall order to follow people like that but then it s nothing that I cannot get ready for.

“I ve never been to Manchester so I m excited about that. It has a great reputation for sport and I love the Great CityGames that they have on the streets the day before the 10km race.

“I ve watched it online and thought to myself, ‘could you imagine if we had that right here at home in the United States track and field on the streets?’

“I want to come and run my best, especially with it being my debut at 10km. It s the perfect place to go.”

Speaking earlier this year, Lagat explained how the end of his elite career is not in sight and that he aiming for this summer’s World Championships, 15 years after his first Olympic Games.

“I definitely want to make the World Championships,” he said. “I m enjoying this very much. I will race my usual schedule.

“Every summer I pick a few races that I know are good and just concentrate on this and it s just one year at a time now.

“I m enjoying it. I don t see the end in sight. I m going to keep going and enjoy what I m doing.”

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