This time, it will be a marathon and not a sprint for underdog Mo
SIR Mo Farah is used to starting races as the favourite. But when he stands on the start line of the London Marathon this morning, he’ll be very much the underdog, surrounded by some of the finest distance runners of all time.
His lack of marathon pedigree is not denting his ambitions, however, nor will it diminish the weight of expectation from British fans.
Despite it being only his second attempt at the 26.2mile distance, the 35-year-old’s targets include topping the podium, breaking the European record and Steve Jones’ British marathon landmark.
Central to his optimism is the three months of high-altitude training he has just completed in Ethiopia, which he said have made him ‘more confident’ than when he made his disappointing marathon debut in 2014.
Also crucial is that the man who has prepared him for today’s race has form in coaching marathon greats.
Farah has been working with Paula Radcliffe’s husband and former coach Gary Lough since last year, when he parted from long-term coach Alberto Salazar, who is under investigation by anti-doping authorities.
Lough is a notoriously hard taskmaster, and won’t suffer fools lightly.
In 2001, footage of him shouting at Radcliffe after she finished fourth at the World Championships was beamed around the world.
But Farah insists he has not encountered Lough’s ‘volatile’ side in their training, and describes their relationship as ‘great’.
‘Gary and I get on well. I respect him as a coach and he respects me as an athlete,’ he said.
Farah’s three months of high-altitude training saw him clocking over 120 miles a week.
He also crossed paths with one of his main rivals today, Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele, who was ‘very helpful’ when he visited his track.
The Brit’s main rival today is expected to be reigning Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge, who is targeting the world record.