Haile Gebrselassie's career has been full of extraordinary accomplishments and with the year 2007 marathon competition coming to a close he is on course to achieve another landmark very soon.

After posting a new World record mark of 2:04:26 at the real,- Berlin Marathon on 30 September he stands to become the first man in 48 years - and just the third in modern times - to run the world's fastest marathon for three consecutive years.

Berlin was also the site of Gebrselassie's world leader in 2006, as he raced through the German capital in 2:05:56. A year earlier, in Amsterdam, he posted 2005's best time of 2:06:20.

There has been a common thread among the consecutive triplers of the past, both male and female, in that each one managed to include at least one World record in their three-year streak*.

Sergey Popov of the Soviet Union was the men's world marathon leader from 1957 through 1959. In that same decade Jim Peters of Great Britain topped the yearly lists from 1952 through 1954. Popov's middle time at Stockholm was a World record but Peters' feat was all the more impressive in that all of his times were World records. No other men, dating back to the 1920s, have been triple consecutive world leaders.

In addition to the above, other three-time world marathon yearly leaders have included Gérard Coté (1940, 1943-44), Bill Rodgers (1975, 1977, 1979) and Khalid Khannouchi (1997, 1999, 2002).

Two women have managed to record three straight marathon world leads. Norway's legendary Grete Waitz did it all at the same locale as she posted World records at New York City from 1978 through 1980. Kenyan Tegla Loroupe also led the world from 1997 through 1999, with World record times for the final two.

Waitz and countrywoman Ingrid Kristiansen are the only marathoners to have posted four world leaders, the former with her fourth in 1986 and the latter in 1984, 1985, 1987 and 1989. Joan (Benoit) Samuelson (1979, 1982, 1983) and Paula Radcliffe (2002, 2003, 2005) have been three-time leaders.

Gebrselassie's world-leading streak will be in serious jeopardy in 2008 as the two marathons he is scheduled to run will be at venues not likely to yield extremely fast times. The first will be at the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon on 18 January and the second at the Beijing Olympic Games in August.

Annual world leading status is nothing new for Gebrselassie. He was number one in the world over the Half Marathon in 2002 and 2006; 10,000 metres in 1995, 1998 and 2003; 5000 metres in 1994, 1995, 1998 and 1999; and 3000 metres in 1997 and 1998.

Marty Post for the IAAF

*Note: World bests / records - road races were not recognised for official World record status until 1 January 2004

The triple consecutive Marathon world year leaders:

Haile Gebrselassie (Ethiopia)

2005 – 2:06:20, Amsterdam
2006 – 2:05:56, Berlin
2007 – 2:04:26, Berlin

Sergey Popov (Soviet Union)

1957 – 2:19:50, Moscow
1958 – 2:15:17.6, Stockholm
1959 – 2:17:45.2,  Kosice

Jim Peters (Great Britain)

1952 – 2:20:42.2, Windsor
1953 – 2:18:34.8, Turku
1954 – 2:17:39.4, Chiswick

Grete Waitz (Norway)

1978 – 2:32:30, New York City
1979 – 2:27:33, New York City
1980 – 2:25:42, New York City

Tegla Loroupe (Kenya)

1997 – 2:22:07, Rotterdam
1998 – 2:20:47, Rotterdam
1999 – 2:20:43, Berlin