Farah eyes Marathon record
Olympic champion Mo Farah has set his sights on adding to his growing
collection of British long-distance records when he makes his full
London Marathon debut next year. Farah, who already holds national
records on the track at 5,000 and 10,000 metres, ran half of the
Marathon course during Sunday's race to get a taste for the unique
challenges of the event so he can last the distance in 12 months time.
British Olympic double gold medallist Mo Farah. AFP |
Having kept up with the leading group as they covered the first half
in world record pace, Somalia-born Farah, who won gold in the 5,000 and
10,000 metres at the London Olympics last year, will look to shatter
Steve Jones' British record of two hours seven minutes 13 seconds when
he competes for real.
“I'm looking forward to it and I hope that I can do it,” Farah said
on Monday.
“I would like to get close to it. It would be nice to come out in my
first marathon and to smash that rather than having a bad one and
running 2:13 or 2:10. I would like to go inside 2:09 and then anything
can happen.
“But it will be my first marathon so we don't know what to expect.
“Yes, I am good at the half marathon, but that doesn't necessarily
mean I am going to be great at the marathon.
“You've seen someone like Zersenay Tadese, who's the world record
holder at half marathon and it just hasn't quite worked out for him at
the marathon. It's a challenge.” While Farah's first taste of the race
has left him thirsty for more, the 30-year-old knows the last British
man to win the London Marathon was Eamonn Martin 20 years ago.
Expectations will be high in his first 26.2 mile outing, but Farah
admitted that the pace as the leaders went over Tower Bridge just before
halfway was a shock.
“You can't just think, 'This is my first marathon, I'm going to smash
it',” he added.
“It doesn't happen like that. It might happen one time and you might
get it right, but it's a challenge.”
AFP |