Haile Gebrselassie in London Marathon 2002, with arch rival Paul Tergat at his shoulder (© Getty Images)
Haile Gebrselassie was beaten in the Flora London Marathon because he did not take any fuel during the race and ran out of gas in the final couple of miles.
The experienced Ethiopian made the decision to drink only water, as opposed to an energy or electrolyte drink, during the race.
Consequently, he 'bonked out' in the latter stages of the race and wound up third behind Khalid Khannouchi and Paul Tergat in a still-respectable time of 2:06:35.
Gerard Hartmann, physical therapist to men's and women's winners Khannouchi and Paula Radcliffe, said Gebrselassie the world 5000m and 10,000m record-holder could have shattered the world marathon best if he had consumed some 'liquid fuel' instead.
"I think he could have run under 2:04," said Hartmann, "and certainly has the ability to do that sort of time in his next race."
Gebrselassie's management, Global Sports Communication, confirmed the athlete had taken nothing other than water. Global's Edgar de Veer said: "Haile never used carbo drinks before and therefore decided to drink water during the race. This could be the reason that he ran 'out of energy'.
"He will for sure drink a carbo drink at his next marathon, which will be planned in the autumn of 2002. Haile also indicated that he has a strong preference for a fast course."
Hartmann added: "If you go for a walk around the shops for four hours you pop in a shop for a coffee with some sugar in it. Yet Gebrselassie took nothing - and for a whole marathon. He got hypoglycaemia in the final miles and went out the back door. He could have run between 2:03 and 2:04 if he'd taken some liquid fuel on board."
Hartmann has a special interest in how to re-fuel the body during endurance events. In addition to being a physical therapist, he won the Irish triathlon title seven times and placed fourth in the Hawaii Ironman, a gruelling event that involves a 2.5-mile sea swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run, usually in baking hot temperatures.
Hartmann says because the temperatures were not overly warm on London Marathon day, replacing electrolytes was not so important. What was vital, however, was to take a carbohydrate/protein drink "in the correct ratio".
The Irishman had a half-hour meeting with Gebrselassie's manager, Jos Hermens, immediately after the marathon and has agreed to meet up with them at their base in Amsterdam in the near future to offer some advice.
Jason Henderson (Athletics Weekly) for the IAAF
