Mo Farah has a running CV few match and many athletes can only dream of.
But, now, his previous accomplishments don’t count for a lot as he kick-starts a new chapter, a different career if you like, from scratch.
Switching from 5,000m and 10,000m competition to the marathon distance is far from a seamless transition, even for someone as talented as the 34-year-old.
The perception might be that the four-time Olympic gold medallist, who retired from his golden career on the track after last year’s World Championships in London, should soon be up there competing among the world’s elite marathoners.
If only it was as simple as that.
Sunday’s victory in the inaugural Vitality Big Half in London for Farah, however, is a huge confidence-booster ahead of his participation as the headline act – alongside Eliud Kipchoge – in next month’s London Marathon.
The home favourite was expected to be fastest through the streets of the English capital given the field wasn’t stacked but in cold conditions he still had to do the business across the 13.1 mile distance. He came home in 1:01:40, far from his 59:22 best but a bit of a statement.
Mo Farah crossed the finish line first in the capital.
The win felt like Farah had stepped out of the shadows, given his last major event and success came in last September’s Great North Run. After that, in October, he split from controversial coach Alberto Salazar, with allegations around the American dragging Farah’s name through the mud.
When it comes to tackling the marathon, Farah is still very much a work in progress. It seems crazy to say that given all his experience but it’s a different ball game. Farah’s first and only marathon to date came in London back in 2014 when he finished eighth and was well off the pace. He won’t be looking for a repeat of that this April.
The Briton has let it be known that his burning ambition is to prove himself over 26.2 miles while his £1m pay packet to run in Sunday’s half and the full marathons in London this year and 2019 make even more good reason to do so.
Talk of whether he will run for Team GB at the 2020 Olympics in Japan is very premature, given he stated last August he didn’t want to represent his country again in a running vest.
He has plenty of work to do before that. It will take Farah some effort to improve significantly on his 2:08:21 showing in London four years ago. To reach the podium, the now London-based runner would need to shave off around four minutes at least and contend with Kipchoge – the man and marathoner pushing the sport to new limits, as we saw last year following his Breaking2 feat with Nike.
Farah isn’t going to keep on running just to make up the numbers and not winning is something he isn’t used to. So, as such, it feels like the next six weeks or so are a real crunch point in a remarkable career.