BERLIN (AP)  World-record holder Haile Gebrselassie won the Berlin Marathon for the fourth straight time on Sunday despite struggling in the last third of a race run in sunny, warm weather. The Ethiopian was on a pace to break his record for the first 18 miles but slowed once his last pacemaker dropped out. Gebrselassie was gritting his teeth by the time he finished under the Brandenburg Gate in 2 hours, 6 minutes, 8 seconds. "It wasn't marathon weather," he said. "It was too warm in the last 10 kilometers. ... At the beginning it was perfect. I could have tried to push maybe, but really it's wonderful. I am OK." Francis Kiprop of Kenya was second in 2:07.03 and Negari Therfa of Ethiopia was third in 2:07.41. Atsede Besuye of Ethiopia won the women's race in 2:24.47. Silvia Skvortsova of Russia was second in 2:26:24. Last year, Gebrselassie became the first man to run under 2 hours, 4 minutes, finishing in 2:03:59 to slash 27 seconds off his previous mark. He is the only man to win the Berlin Marathon four times. Gebrselassie's pacemakers pushed him over the first two-thirds of the race and the Ethiopian looked capable of lowering the world mark again. But when Kenya's Sammy Kosgei dropped out, Gebrselassie was left alone in the front and he could not keep up the pace. "Maybe the first 30K were too fast," he said. Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Guidelines: You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. Read more