Marathon Calls For Mo

21 JAN2012

World champion Mo Farah plans to step up to marathon distance after his Olympic 5,000 / 10,000 metres double bid in London this summer. Farah believes some runners do the marathon when it's too late and they are past their best. He wants to face the challenge of the classic 26.2 mile distance during his peak years.

He will have to defy the opinion of endurance legend Haile Gebrselassie to fulfil the ambition of becoming one of the world's top marathon runners. The great Ethiopian champion has suggested that Farah won't have the patience to lock-in to the steady pace required of a top marathon competitor.

Gebrselassie has also pinpointed the potential dangers of injury that can be problematic for those who run the classic 26.2 miles regularly. The divine Haile might also have mentioned the quality of the current Kenyan premier league marathon runners including world record holder Patrick Makau, world champion Abel Kirui and the Mutais - Emmanuel and Geoffrey.

However the prospect of Farah as an Olympic champion facing those giants in Boston, London, New York or Berlin in 2013 is a fascinating prospect and would provide marathon running with a huge boost.

Mo Farah provided a positive indication of how he might perform when he makes a permanent move from track to road when he made a winning half-marathon debut in New York last year, running 1:00:23 to cut 36 seconds off a long-standing British record.