) intends to protect his territory.
The world record-holder is not pleased by talk that distance greats Haile Gebrselassie and Paul Tergat aim to break his mark in the London Marathon on Sunday.
"It's like they're invading my
event," the Moroccan-born American said Friday. "Maybe I won't say my event, but they're invading the marathon and this is the perfect time for me to step up."
Khannouchi's record of 2
hours, 5 minutes, 42 seconds could be under threat Sunday with a prediction for cool weather, perfect for racing.
Gebrselassie is making his debut in an elite marathon, his only other race at 26.2 miles
coming in Ethiopia when he was 15. The 28-year-old Ethiopian has asked pacemakers to run the first half in 1:02:30 — a pace of 2:04:49 for the full distance.
Khannouchi knows about Gebrselassie's speed —
the Ethiopian won a world indoor title at 1,500 meters.
"You have to have a marathon under your belt to think of going that fast," Khannouchi said. "If he's planning to go out in 1:02:30, we
will see if we can go with him."
Gebrselassie is regarded as the greatest distance
