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When I had no shoes I was comfortable - I used to run barefoot. When I wore shoes it was difficult. To run in shoes was ok, but at the beginning of my career it was hard.

Haile Gebrselassie

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Haile Gebrselassie
Age: 51
Born: 1973
Born: April 18
Athletics Competitor
Long-Distance Runner
Marathon Runner
Olympic Athlete
Asela
Haile Gebrselassie
Hard
Shoes
Beginning
Career
Careers
Comfortable
Difficult
Running
Barefoot
Used
Wore

More quotes by Haile Gebrselassie

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In the rainy season, sometimes to get to the first lesson we had to run really quick, because we had to cross the river to school and we'd have to go up and down the bank to find a place to cross because there is no bridge.
Haile Gebrselassie
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My school was six miles away from where I lived on the farm. I had to walk and run, there and back every day, through gorges and over rivers. If I was late, there was a very big stick waiting for me.
Haile Gebrselassie
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If your body is damaged, wounded, it can be fixed, but if inside, mentally, you are wounded you cannot fix it, it's hard.
Haile Gebrselassie
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When I run in Ethiopia, I look out and see eucalyptus trees and rivers.
Haile Gebrselassie
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For me a day without training is like a day without eating.
Haile Gebrselassie
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I want to go down in history.
Haile Gebrselassie
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You know, I want to help my country. Definitely I can help them, simply by winning races. Sure, they can follow my path to a good career. But for me it is not enough. I want to be more than that. In everything I want to be a role model.
Haile Gebrselassie
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Since I achieved something, running has exploded in my country.
Haile Gebrselassie
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I haven't done a marathon for a long time. So we'll see. I will need good luck.
Haile Gebrselassie
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I feel a social responsibility. We need to open people's eyes. There is a lack of education in Ethiopia.
Haile Gebrselassie
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Some people start a sport just to reduce weight, or some say, 'My doctor ordered me to run and do exercise', and for others, they run for completely different benefits. But it is not like that with sport. We need to eat, we need to rest, but also we need to run.
Haile Gebrselassie
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What can you do if a part of it is uphill? You can't work out another route. You've just got to run the one they give you. But they tell me London is a nice course. Even the cobbles, I hope, are not very much of a problem for me.
Haile Gebrselassie
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I used to run to school, 10k every day. And this at altitude, perfect preparation, really.
Haile Gebrselassie
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You need three things to win: discipline, hard work and, before everything maybe, commitment. No one will make it without those three. Sport teaches you that.
Haile Gebrselassie
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He was not a runner, my father, but he was quick. I always remember it was very difficult to escape from him when he was angry. If he wanted to beat us he would always catch us. Even me, he could always catch me.
Haile Gebrselassie
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I have to change a lot of things before I become a good marathon runner.
Haile Gebrselassie
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Why should I say I will retire in three or four years? You retire the very moment you utter those words.
Haile Gebrselassie
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When you promise something, you must fulfill it.
Haile Gebrselassie
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I know what I want when I start a marathon: to win! But what do you want? Make sure you're clear in advance and don't go out too fast.
Haile Gebrselassie
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I remember in particular my first victory when I achieved a very fast time in what were perfect conditions but since then the wind has always been a factor against me.
Haile Gebrselassie