The Ethiopian is training six days a week at his base outside Addis Ababa, but plans to take time off on April 26.
DOHA: Kenenisa Bekele exuded confidence he can lower more than a minute off his personal best, and even the official world record to two hours.
The record is only broken by rival Eliud Kipchoge in closed conditions and with aids that wouldn’t be available in a recognised race.
“I’m sure, it’s possible to run that time (two hours),” Bekele told Olympic Channel.
“I can run maybe faster than the world record, maybe close to two hours or something. It’s down to the weather conditions and a good course.”
The Ethiopian, who still holds the 5,000m and 10,000m world records, dominated distance running before switching to the road for the marathon in 2014.
He enjoyed a resounding debut in Paris after he posted one of the fastest times ever of 2:05:04, but he continued to struggle thereafter.
A fourth-placed finish behind world record-holder Kipchoge followed in Chicago a few months later, before taking time off to recover from a niggling Achilles tendon injury.
“For me to stay for a long time, like 15 years, even 20, you know, it’s not easy. Very few athletes do this,” he said of the low moments when his marathon career took a dip.
“You can struggle with many things. It could be an injury. There are many obstacles, it’s not easy. Passing all those obstacles and coming back makes it special,” he added.
The 37-year-old has been in the best shape since his last race in Berlin, where he ‘painfully’ missed the world record by just two seconds in 2019.
Bekele is still training six days a week in his usual training base at the Sululta forest, just outside the capital Addis Ababa, but plans to take time off on April 26.
The most decorated athlete in the World Cross Country Championships with 12 individual titles, has an impressive business portfolio, stretching over hotels, resorts, and a sports training centre.
