My father thought sport was something fun - he didn't know it was a way to make money. Haile Gebrselassie More Quotes by Haile Gebrselassie More Quotes From Haile Gebrselassie All athletes need three things: commitment, discipline and hard work. Without that it's hard to keep running. Haile Gebrselassie hard-work running commitment When you run the marathon, you run against the distance, not against the other runners and not against the time. Haile Gebrselassie half-marathons distance running Once you have commitment, you need the discipline and hard work to get you there. Haile Gebrselassie discipline hard-work commitment First, do enough training. Then believe in yourself and say: I can do it. Tomorrow is my day. And then say: the person in front of me, he is just a human being as well; he has two legs, I have two legs, that is all. That is mentally how you prepare. Haile Gebrselassie training two believe Always, if you win mentally, you can win physically as well. Haile Gebrselassie you-can-win wells winning I always tell young athletes the same thing, 'Wherever you go, whatever you do, what must your top priority be? Running.' Haile Gebrselassie priorities athlete running For me a day without training is like a day without eating. Haile Gebrselassie training eating My father thought sport was something fun - he didn't know it was a way to make money. Then I won a Mercedes at the world championships and I gave it to him. From the moment it arrived my father said: 'Good, you can support not just yourself but me too'. Haile Gebrselassie fun sports father Some people start a sport just to reduce weight, or some say, 'My doctor ordered me to run and do exercise', and for others, they run for completely different benefits. But it is not like that with sport. We need to eat, we need to rest, but also we need to run. Haile Gebrselassie exercise running sports You need three things to win: discipline, hard work and, before everything maybe, commitment. No one will make it without those three. Sport teaches you that. Haile Gebrselassie hard-work sports commitment I can't change everything by myself but I can be one of the people who are trying to change the situation. Haile Gebrselassie situation trying people You must do as your people do. If my people are poor, I must be poor. People ask me, 'Why don't you find a personal coach or a private car?' I can't. Then I won't be part of my people. Haile Gebrselassie car poor people I will always listen to my coaches. But first I listen to my body. If what they tell me suits my body, great. If my body doesn't feel good with what they say, then always my body comes first. Haile Gebrselassie feel-good body fitness It is not my duty to spend my money in my country, but it is what I want to do. There is nowhere else I would like to invest. Haile Gebrselassie duty want country My school was six miles away from where I lived on the farm. I had to walk and run, there and back every day, through gorges and over rivers. If I was late, there was a very big stick waiting for me. Haile Gebrselassie rivers running school Being a great athlete is something that requires a lot of training and dedication, it does not come as easily as some people may think. Haile Gebrselassie dedication athlete thinking I'm lucky. The best possible place in the world for training is Addis Ababa, so I am home all the time except when I am racing. I like to be there, near my family, my kids, also the real estate business I run with my wife. Haile Gebrselassie real home running Life is a kind of struggle. Life is a sort of fight. Haile Gebrselassie fighting kind struggle Age for me is just a number. Haile Gebrselassie age numbers birthday I love running and I will always run. Haile Gebrselassie running
