Mo Farah bids emotional farewell after battling to finish final race in London
Sir Mo Farah failed to secure the Hollywood ending to his running career in London, finishing fourth in the Big Half.
Farah announced after the London Marathon in April that he intended to retire after competing in the Great North Run in September. The 40-year-old took part in the half-marathon across London alongside 15,000 other runners in what will be his final ever race in the capital.
He has a connection to London and wanted to go out with a bang by winning the Big Half for a fourth time. But Farah could not summon up the speed for another win, finishing fourth on the streets of London.
Speaking afterwards he revealed that he was not in top physical shape and had considered pulling out. “It was very mixed emotions,” he said. “When I lined up, I knew it was my final race in London. I tried to be as competitive as I could. But that’s all I had.
“I haven’t felt well for the last few days. I had a cold. I said to [event director] Hugh Brasher, I’m not feeling well, I don’t think I should do it. I had a tough decision about whether to pull out or not. I decided I would run and not let people down.
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“I hope I’ll be better for the Great North Run. I’ll go out there and give it my all. It’s hard to think that there is no more racing in London. But everything must come to an end at some point. It was emotional running this time with people cheering ‘Go on Mo’ – that memory will always stay with me. I would have loved to have given more than what I showed but it wasn’t to be.
“It has not been a hard decision to quit because of my body is getting on a bit. When you get niggles, it is difficult to stop-start in training. I have known since 2019 that if I wanted to be the best, I needed more training.”
Mo Farah will retire after the Great North Run (HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP via Getty Images)Farah will hope the experience will have put him in good stead for the Great North Run, which takes place in the north east on September 10. Despite his own frustrations, he was pleased for winner Jack Rowe – runner-up for the past two years – to cross the finish line first in a time of 61:08.
“I wasn’t feeling too well yesterday, and I wasn’t even sure if I would run, but I had so much support, so I needed to do it,” Farah added.
“I felt OK and the race was not bad for me, but I struggled when the pace was pushed. It is a pleasure to see Jack win – he joined us at a training camp and he’s come a long way in three years. Seeing the work youngsters put in and get the results they deserve makes me feel proud.
“I love my family and I want to see them enjoy it. They have been a massive part of my success and now we can finally spend more time together and I can be more of a family man.”
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