World-class runners race for the best seat in the BMW i3.
Berlin. They’re among the greats of the sport, they’ve dashed through half of Berlin in rather a hurry – some of them more than once – and they’ve set records that have left onlookers open-mouthed. In the run-up to the 40th BMW BERLIN-MARATHON Haile Gebrselassie, 40, (Ethiopia), the legend of legends in distance running, met up with two of the current world’s fastest marathon runners, Kenya’s Patrick Makau (28) and Wilson Kipsang (31), to chew over the issues of the day. The three men climbed aboard the new lead car for the Berlin Marathon, the revolutionary BMW i3, for a drive along the banks of the River Spree to the Reichstag.
“I’ve been to Berlin many times. It’s a vibrant city that I love very much, but I’ve never seen it from this perspective,” beamed Gebrselassie, who won the Berlin Marathon four times in his long and glittering career, breaking the world record in the German capital on two occasions (in 2007 and 2008). On Sunday the Ethiopian will fire the starting gun to send the elite field – and the BMW i3 lead car – on their way.
Their Berlin tour left Kenya’s Patrick Makau and his compatriot Wilson Kipsang suitably impressed – not only by the beauty of the city, but also by the sprinting ability of the all-electric BMW i3. “As runners we would be extremely happy if the vehicles driving ahead of us at every marathon event had no exhaust emissions,” they agreed.
Kipsang, the favourite for Sunday’s race, finished just four seconds shy of the world record at the 2011 BMW Frankfurt Marathon and was looking forward to finally going head-to-head with his fellow countryman in Berlin this year. However, Makau – the current world record holder – has been forced to pull out of the race because of injury. Not that this stopped the two Kenyans from challenging Gebrselassie to a tongue-in-cheek race of their own: first to the car would get the best seat. However, Kipsang and Makau hadn’t reckoned with the craft and wile of the former champion. While the younger men were still busy preparating for the start, Gebrselassie broke into a short sprint to secure pole position. He also had some words of advice for Kipsang with an eye on the more serious business ahead: “If he’s going to break the record, this is his chance now, here in Berlin. But he has to be able to surprise his opponents in the race as well.”
You can find film material of the three marathon runners on their Berlin tour on board the BMW i3 at: http://bl.wige-footage-center.com/BMW_Laufsport/BMW_BERLIN-MARATHON_130927_online_h264_mp4.zip
Note to editors: You can find the latest press releases, press kits and rights-free images (for editorial purposes) for BMW’s competitive running activities at: www.press.bmwgroup-sport.com
You can also find general information at the BMW running portal:
For all the details on the BMW and SportScheck city race series go to:
http://mein.sportscheck.com/sport/laufsport/events
Information on Germany’s major half-marathon and marathon events is also available on the respective event organisers’ websites:
www.bmw-frankfurt-marathon.com
Press contact:
BMW Group
Corporate Communications
Sports Communications
David Biebricher
E-mail: David.Biebricher@bmw.de
www.press.bmwgroup-sport.com
www.bmw-laufsport.de
