Gebrselassie beats Radcliffe in half-marathon race

Gebrselassie beats Radcliffe in half-marathon race

Published Apr. 15, 2012 10:26 a.m. ET

Haile Gebrselassie won a special half-marathon event ahead of the Vienna City Marathon Sunday after chasing Paula Radcliffe, who started the race 7 minutes, 52 seconds earlier.

The Ethiopian great overtook Radcliffe after 9.5 miles and finished in an unofficial time of 1 hour, 52 seconds.

Radcliffe, who timed 1:12:03, planned to use the exhibition event as preparation for the Olympics in London in August. Her training was interrupted by bronchitis over the past two weeks.

Radcliffe's head start of 7:52 equaled the difference between her and Gebrselassie's personal bests over the 13.1-mile distance.

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