MELBOURNE - ETHIOPIAN great Haile Gebrselassie burnt off his rivals for a commanding win in the Great Australian Run over 15km through the city streets here on Sunday.

Gebrselassie, 35, backed only by a few hours' sleep and troubled by jetlag, broke away from Kenyan Patrick Makau with 4km to run and accelerated to win the inaugural event in 42 minutes and 40 seconds.

It was the two-time Olympic 10,000m champion and reigning marathon world record holder's best time of the year over the distance, but over a minute outside Kenyan Felix Limo's world record of 41:29.

Half-marathon specialist Makau trailed in 35 seconds behind Gebrselassie to take second in 43:15, with Australia's Collis Birmingham beating Olympian Craig Mottram for third placing in 43:35.

Makau stayed on Gebrselassie's shoulder for much of the race, before the Ethiopian wonder made his move.

'After 11km I decided to stop (Makau) there, otherwise it was just too dangerous if I brought him up to the last kilometre,' Gebrselassie said.

'I expected to run a good time but when I woke up this morning I didn't feel so good because of the lack of sleep.'

Gebrselassie only arrived in Australia on early on Friday from Addis Ababa for his first race since his world record 2:03.59 in the Berlin marathon in September.

'I should have come five or six days ago but I made a mistake because I only arrived on Friday morning,' he said.

It was Gebrselassie's first race in Australia since his dramatic victory over Kenyan Paul Tergat in the 10,000m at the Sydney Olympics.

'I expected (the jetlag) and I said to myself that I can handle it, but it was not easy when I came here,' said Gebrselassie, who intends to fly home later on Sunday.

'The next time I come to Australia I have to come early.' Gebrselassie's next race is the Dubai marathon in January, where he hopes to challenge his his new world record, the 26th of his stellar career.

Kenya's two-time world marathon champion Catherine Ndereba easily won the the women's event in 50:43, well outside the year's best 15km time of 47:38 set by Kenyan Philes Ongori.

Ndereba, 36, was second behind Romania's Constantina Dita in this year's Beijing Olympic marathon, but finished well ahead of sixth-placed Dita in Sunday's shorter version.

'I was trying to just keep my pace,' Ndereba said.

'It's four weeks since I ran my last marathon and I was looking to press myself.' New Zealand's Alice Mason was second in 51:27 and third-placed Lisa Weightman was the leading Australian in 51:31. -- AFP