Close protection of a sporting or other celebrity can be hard for any number of reasons. The celeb may go where he pleases or visit unwise places at unwise times. In the case of double Olympic Champion and world record holder Haile Gebrselassie, you have to keep up with him!?
That’s the assignment for Tom Bailey, Central Manchester Area Manager for the crowd management and event security contractor Showsec, as Haile Gebrselassie is among runners in Morrison’s Great Manchester Run in the city on Sunday, May 10. Bailey won’t be expected to run alongside Gebrselassie in the big race, but the Ethiopian loves competing in Manchester so much that he intends to rub shoulders with 40,000 people when he continues round the course, for a second time. Bailey has an added incentive; he’s running to raise funds for a hospice.
Bailey, pictured, said: “Apparently, he tends to jog around the second time, but an Olympic Champion’s idea of a jog and mine are no doubt some distance apart,” said the Area Manager for Central Manchester. It will be a tremendous privilege to act as a running partner for one of the all-time greats of long distance competition on such a big occasion for the city. I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed that he sticks to the plan or it really will be a tough task trying to keep pace with him if he steps on it.”
Gebrselassie, who has broken 27 world records in his career, will be aiming to win the main race in Manchester for a sixth time before then savouring the atmosphere by heading back around the course.
As for Bailey, he said beforehand: “I’ve been out running 10k at 6.30am in a morning since my colleague Andy Cooper kindly volunteered me for this unique opportunity. Thankfully, it will also help me that I have kept up a strict fitness regime since my time as part of the England Futsal set-up. I am sure colleagues will get to have a laugh at my expense, but the satisfaction is that I am doing it for such a worthy cause. St Ann’s Hospice is one of our charity clients and we have worked with them for the past four years on their midnight walk event.”
Bailey is asking colleagues to make donations to support his run by visiting his Just Giving page – https://www.justgiving.com/ShowsecTomBailey
