Gebrselassie beats Radcliffe in half-marathon race

VIENNA – 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.