Virgin London Marathon – Farah comes home to learn from the best

Mo Farah called his decision to run half of Sunday's Virgin London Marathon a "no brainer" today, saying it gives him the perfect opportunity to learn the art of marathon running ahead of his full marathon debut next year.

"I want to test myself as a marathon runner and this year I've been given the chance to practice," said the double Olympic track champion. "Why would I turn that down? It was a no brainer for me. I'm going out to learn something about it and this is the perfect place to do it."

Farah will test himself by running to half way on the famous 26.2-mile course alongside some of the best marathon athletes of all-time, including three formidable Kenyans – the world record holder Patrick Makau, last year's London champion Wilson Kipsang, who's the second fastest man in history, and the World Marathon Majors champion, Geoffrey Mutai.

Mutai is making his London debut this year, and is tipped by some to win against a field described as the greatest ever. Like Farah, he also came to learn about the course a year early when he rode on the lead vehicle 12 months' ago, getting a perfect head-on view of Kipsang's stunning victory.

For Farah, running half the race alongside many of the athletes who are likely to be his rivals next year is simply a different way of gaining valuable experience.

"I could have done what Geoffrey Mutai did last year but I decided I wanted to run, I want to experience it," he said. "My aim is to run next year and do the full marathon here. This year is just about getting used to the course and the race. It's practice, really.

"At first, I thought about riding in the lead vehicle but then I thought if I get the chance to run that would be better."

Farah's request was eagerly accepted by the London Marathon organisers who were all too happy to have Britain's Olympic 5000m and 10,000m champion in the line-up, an athlete whose career they have been supporting since the late 1990s when he won the London Mini Marathon three times as a west London schoolboy.

Farah lived and trained for 10 years at St Mary's College in west London where the Marathon funded the college track and paid for accommodation. The annual Virgin London Marathon Young Athlete Camp is now held there each summer, while Farah, now 30, still trains each year at the High Altitude Training Centre in Iten, Kenya, funded by the London Marathon in conjunction with British Athletics.

"The London Marathon has been looking after me since I was a kid," he said. "They've always given me support.

"But I won't get any special treatment here. I'll be the same as everyone else. The point for me is to see how it all works, to go through the process of picking up my drinks, to see how I feel."

As for the race itself, Farah insists he won't be tempted to run any further than he's planned, however comfortable he's feeling when the leaders reach half way in around 61 minutes 45 seconds, nor will he aim for the British half marathon record of 60:59 he set earlier this year in New Orleans.

"I just want to be in the pack when the main group goes to the front," he said. "I don't think anything dramatic is going to happen. I just want to stay in the pack, feel good and get through it.

"Running a half marathon is completely different. There are people in this race who are going the whole way and I've got to respect them. I'll do what I'm supposed to do and that's it.

"I'm learning something. Every race is different. It depends on the course, and this is the biggest race in the world, so what better place to learn? I might be able to run a good half, but who knows how I'll do in the marathon?"

For now, Farah still thinks of himself as a track runner. He will defend his world 5000m title in Moscow this summer and attempt to add the world 10,000m crown to his list of honours.

"As for next year, it just depends how it goes," he said. "If I run an amazing time here then I might concentrate on the marathon. But you can only do two or three marathons a year, at most, and I still like the track."

Farah may remain a track runner at heart, but he feels an affinity with the marathon running community following the tragic events in Boston on Monday. Like 35,000 other runners on Sunday, he will wear a black ribbon in support of the victims.

"We're going to support all the people there," he said. "The people in Boston would want us to keep going. London will do a great job, just as we did at the Olympics.

"This is home for me, so I'll feel comfortable. This is the place for me."

 

Source:  Virgin London Marathon Organisers