Sir Mo Farah steps up preparations for next month’s London Marathon as he scores a third Grand Half victory to bounce back in style from the surprise loss to a CLUB RUNNER in the Vitality 10k in May.
- Sir Mo Farah enjoyed a timely return to form by winning the Big Half on Sunday
- It was only his third fastest race in the Big Half, but it was still enough to beat Jack Rowe.
- Commonwealth Games gold medalist Eilish McColgan won the women’s race.
- But she will not compete in the London Marathon due to a medical problem.
Sir Mo Farah enjoyed a timely return to form ahead of next month’s London Marathon with a third Big Half victory.
The four-time Olympic champion suffered an upset loss to club runner Ellis Cross at the Vitality 10k in London in May, sparking further talk of his retirement.
Farah helped mute some of the outside noise with an impressive run this time in the capital and crossed the finish line at Greenwich in a time of 61min 49sec after beating his closest rivals over the final three miles of the 13.1 – mile course.
It was only the 39-year-old’s third-fastest race in the Big Half, but it was still enough to pass Jack Rowe and defending champion Jake Smith, who finished second and third respectively.
Scottish Commonwealth Games gold medalist Eilish McColgan claimed victory in the elite women’s race with a record time of 67.34 minutes, but unlike Farah, she will not compete in the London Marathon afterward. after it was announced on Friday that he had withdrawn due to a medical problem.
Sir Mo Farah (above) enjoyed a timely return to form with a third Big Half win
“Today was not easy, but the most important thing is the win and it’s good to be back,” Farah told BBC Sport.
‘It is very nice to see my family here and so many people come. It’s great for families, but the most important thing for me is the streets of London and the support and the atmosphere, it’s great and makes you want to come back every year over and over again.
‘The key for me today was trying to win, no matter what happened.
“It was to play with things, collect my drink and all the practice before the London Marathon.
It was only his third-fastest race in the Big Half, but it was still enough to pass Jack Rowe.
‘I’m excited, I’m looking forward to it. The last seven weeks have been good, I have constant training, so I am happy with where I am. The next step is that this afternoon I will fly and prepare for the next four weeks, I will put my head down and see what I can do.
Farah was competing for the second time in 2022 and was keen to recover from his disappointment in May.
After being part of a five-man pack for the first half of the London event, the multiple gold medal winner used his experience to pull away after refueling at the 11-mile mark.
There was talk of Farah retiring after his loss in May, but he put those doubts aside.
His margin of victory was slower than his wins from 2018 and 2019, but it gave the British athlete a confidence boost ahead of next month’s London Marathon.
His fellow Olympian McColgan will not compete in the 26.2-mile race in October, as he was affected by a fuel reaction during long practices.
The problem has been identified as rebound hypoglycemia, a common occurrence among endurance athletes that leads to low blood sugar levels and means there isn’t enough glucose in the blood to meet the body’s demands.
But McColgan stood her ground on Sunday, bettering Charlotte Purdue’s time of 69.51 minutes last year to show she will be a force to be reckoned with if she can compete as planned in the 2023 London Marathon.
“To run a two-minute course record, I couldn’t ask for more,” he said.
Commonwealth Games gold medalist Eilish McColgan claimed victory in the women’s race.
At the marathon, McColgan admitted: “It’s disappointing and if it were up to me I’d probably try to keep going, but I know it’s my heart speaking and the sensible decision is to get everything right for April.”
‘The good thing is that it’s only seven months. I would be more frustrated if I had to wait a full year. It was great to come here and do a race on the streets of London, half the distance, so hopefully in April we can go the full way.”
David Weir warmed up for what will be the 23rd consecutive London Marathon with a record time of 47.18 minutes on his way to victory in the men’s wheelchair race.
For her part, Eden Rainbow-Cooper equaled the course record in the women’s wheelchair race with an excellent 56.39 minutes.
