LONDON: Britain’s top long distance runner Mo Farah won the inaugural Big Half 13.1-mile half-marathon yesterday in his build-up to next month’s London Marathon.
Farah won a sprint to the finish line in the London district of Greenwich, ahead of Kenyan Daniel Wanjiru, winner of last year’s London marathon, with Scot Callum Hawkins in third place.
The 34-year-old Farah has been training in Ethiopia and arrived in London on Thursday.
He managed to adjust to a huge drop in temperature for yesterday’s race, his first for six months.
“It wasn’t too bad, I was comfortable,” Farah said, but added with a laugh “I have to do double the distance (in six weeks’ time).”
Farah has turned to marathon racing after a glorious career on the track winning gold medals in both the 5,000 and 10,000 metres at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games.
He is targetting the marathon at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, training with Gary Lough, husband of former women’s great long distance runner Paula Radcliffe.