When the greatest distance runner in the world decides the time is right to move up to the marathon, it is big news.

Hence the delight of the organisers of the London Marathon when Haile Gebrselassie agreed to make his debut in the UK this April.

Sure, the biggest pay-cheque in the race's history helped - a world record will earn the legendary Ethiopian �350,000.

But the presence of Gebrselassie is helping to underline London's reputation as the finest marathon in the athletics calendar.

"I'm not thinking about the money. Of course it's there, but the running is more important."

At 28, Gebrselassie is the ideal age to make the transition from track champion to road king.

Having lost his world 10,000m crown in Edmonton last summer, the man who holds the world record at both 5000m and 10,000m is in need of a challenge.

With two Olympic and four world titles in his possession already, he had little more to prove.

There are those who wonder whether his high-stepping, bouncy style is suited to the demands of a 26-mile battle over tarmac and cobbles.

"I've been chasing him for almost two years, and I think the jury was maybe out until they saw how he ran at the world half-marathon championships in Bristol," he said.

"His style was so relaxed, so suited to road running, that he'll be a handful.

"I don't think there's a bookie in the country who won't be offering him at odds-on to win."

Gebrselassie is similarly confident. The extra mileage he has been forced to do in training has held few fears, for this is a man who loves what he does.

"When I wake up I think about running," he said. "I'm always in a hurry to go. Running is like a hobby to me. It's not boring.

"I train twice a day, 13 times a week, an average of 30km a day. At the moment it's more - 35km a day.

"Sometimes I have a Walkman, but sometimes I talk with friends in my training group. Always I enjoy it."

With Paula Radcliffe also taking her marathon bow in the women's race, it promises to be one of the most fascinating contests in years.