I am sitting with Haile Gebrselassie in a room near his home in the suburbs of Addis Ababa trying to keep my mind on my job. This is, after all, a sports interview. And I am, after all, a sports writer. And he is, after all, the greatest distance runner the world has ever seen. And yet, every time the conversation drifts towards his running and records, I have to stifle the urge to yawn.

Should I consider changing my job? The problem starts the moment we shake hands. He has dashed to the interview from his niece’s wedding on the other side of the city and seems mortified to have kept me waiting. “I’m so sorry,” he gushes. “The value of time is not what it should be in this country. We started at one and I was sure it would finish before 2.30. This is bad for you.”

“Not at all,” I reply.

He is wearing the shemma — a white cotton shirt draped with a colourful sash, white trousers, apron and sandals — the traditional costume of the Ethiopian male. And the first thing that strikes is the gentleness in his voice and the stateliness of his bearing.

“Two or three months ago I decided not to wear imported clothes,” he explains. “I am going to try and help my people by using the local products. This is what we wear for weddings and special occasions. Everything is produced here. This (the sash) was made by hand.”

“Very nice,” I observe.

“Yes, it’s not bad, but it’s not very good for sport,” he smiles.

Sport. Yes, of course, we’re supposed to be talking about sport. We’re supposed to be revisiting his two Olympic titles, his seven world titles and 16 world records. We’re supposed to be discussing London last year and his plans for the Olympics in Athens. I’m supposed to be asking about his respect for Paula Radcliffe, his rivalry with Paul Tergat and the scourge of doping and EPO.

Yet every time I guide him towards the starting blocks his other life keeps getting in the way. The mention of his niece leads to a discussion about his own wedding. “The ceremony in Ethiopia is different from the ceremony in Europe. There are many sessions. First the engagement, then the wedding, then the gathering between the families. The engagement was in the airport after I came back from Atlanta (the Olympics in 1996). It was so big — 2,000 people! The only thing we could do was serve cookies and drinks. Most of them came because they like Haile Gebrselassie, and thanks to them. But to arrange a wedding for 2,000 people is impossible.”

The discussion about his own wedding leads to a discussion about his kids:

“You have three daughters?” “Yes, at this time.”

“How many would you like to have?” “Well, I have no plans. To have many children is not acceptable.”

“Why not?” “I have enough money. It’s just . . . children need not only food, not only shelter and not only clothes — children need love. And if there are more than four or five it’s very difficult to give love to all of them. I wanted to have a boy and if I have a boy it’s wonderful, but honestly speaking I don’t want to have more than four. I don’t want to be like my father.