Geb breaks world record in the one-hour run

You ever try running an hour on a track? Haile Gebreselassie of Ethiopia did last night in Ostrava, Czech Republic!

Geb set a new world record in the One Hour Run. The legendary Ethiopian star covered 21,285 meters over the course of 60 minutes to break the previous best of 21,101 meters by Mexican Arturo Barrios on March 30, 1991 (in case you're not keeping track, that's 188 meters over a half-marathon in less than an hour!)

During his run, Gebrselassie also broke the world record for 20,000 meters in covering 50 laps in 56:25.98, well within the previous 56:55.6 also set by Barrios. A two-time Olympic 10,000m champion, Gebrselassie has now posted 24 world records during his remarkable career.

I had the opportunity to meet Geb in person at the 2001 IAAF World Track & Field Championships in Edmonton (see photo above)...he's really one of the good guys in the sport.

While we're on the Ostrava meet, my boy Reese Hoffa won the shot put, with a toss of 71 feet 5.25 inches, which is the fourth best in the world this outdoor season. Reese is another good guy on the circuit...several years ago, he actually threw the shot in a meet under the name, "The Unknown Shot Putter", complete with mask over face, a la pro wrestling, of which he's a big fan! Reese cracked me up last September at the US team hotel at the World Cup meet in Athens, Greece with his wit!

When I was an undergrad at the University of Washington in 1979, we did an hour run on the track at Husky Stadium as a fundraiser for the track team...my best was 10 3/4 miles, but I was getting my tail smoked like a big cigar by some of our runners, who hit 12 miles.