In the rainy season, sometimes to get to the first lesson we had to run really quick, because we had to cross the river to school and we'd have to go up and down the bank to find a place to cross because there is no bridge.

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.

I haven't done a marathon for a long time. So we'll see. I will need good luck.

That is not enough. Sport has been great for me, a great learning place that if you want to achieve you can, even if you are from the poorest part of Africa.

When we race in London a world record will be the last thing on our minds.

I think if you come first with a new world record, that is the best.

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'.

In the rainy season, sometimes to get to the first lesson we had to run really quick, because we had to cross the river to school and we'd have to go up and down the bank to find a place to cross because there is no bridge.

Eradicate poverty. This is all that matters in my country. When I am out training I think about this a lot; when I am running it is going over in my mind. As a country we cannot move forward until we eradicate poverty.

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.

This is what I wanted. They tell me that London is the best field in history. I wanted to be part of that. Because everyone will be there it will be a wonderful challenge for me. You can see the best runners, how they look, how they run. For me to beat the best is what counts.

I have to change a lot of things before I become a good marathon runner.

He was not a runner, my father, but he was quick. I always remember it was very difficult to escape from him when he was angry. If he wanted to beat us he would always catch us. Even me, he could always catch me.

Since I achieved something, running has exploded in my country. For me sometimes it is difficult even to know who the athletes are who are competing at the highest level. There are thousands.

At the moment I am a little bit politician, yes. I think that could be my next step. It is not because I want power, it is because of what I think I could do for the people.

I used to run to school, 10k every day. And this at altitude, perfect preparation, really.

What can you do if a part of it is uphill? You can't work out another route. You've just got to run the one they give you. But they tell me London is a nice course. Even the cobbles, I hope, are not very much of a problem for me.

This hand is not very active always, because it was in this hand that I carried my books. My carrying hand was always my strongest. Now I think my other hand has developed more muscles from signing all those autographs.

You know, I want to help my country. Definitely I can help them, simply by winning races. Sure, they can follow my path to a good career. But for me it is not enough. I want to be more than that. In everything I want to be a role model.

Age for me is just a number.

Always, if you win mentally, you can win physically as well.

At the end of the day, people want to see how fast you run.

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.

For me a day without training is like a day without eating.

I always tell young athletes the same thing, 'Wherever you go, whatever you do, what must your top priority be? Running.'

I can't change everything by myself but I can be one of the people who are trying to change the situation.

I feel a social responsibility. We need to open people's eyes. There is a lack of education in Ethiopia.

I love running and I will always run.

I remember in particular my first victory when I achieved a very fast time in what were perfect conditions but since then the wind has always been a factor against me.

I want to avoid injuries by running only road.

I wanted to experience New York, to look up and see buildings.

I was the kind of child who worked hard every day with the cows and sheep - I was a very aggressive boy.

I'm a runner first before anything else.

I'm never satisfied.

If you're planning only to make money and nothing else, you'll be broke.

If your body is damaged, wounded, it can be fixed, but if inside, mentally, you are wounded you cannot fix it, it's hard.

In my life I do a lot of things but I never forget my training.

In the marathon a crazy athlete can just keep pushing from the beginning, at a championship you don't need a time just to win the race.

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.

Life is a kind of struggle. Life is a sort of fight.

Like some high official, you have to tell your brain: 'Do it. Come on. I have to do it.'

Many people know that Ethiopia is poor. When I break a world record, maybe people get to know something else about Ethiopia, something good. We can't make planes or cars, we don't have the materials. We do what we can.

My father didn't think running was sensible. He told me running is just wasting time.

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.

Once you have commitment, you need the discipline and hard work to get you there.

Schooling is so important.

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.

The marathon always starts after 30K. That's where the problems start. You start without any problems, without any pain. All the pain comes after 30K. Sometimes, it's possible to have pain even in the finger.

The more you are getting older, you lose a little something. Of course there is another advantage, because of your long experience you can use it.