Sir Mo Farah calls time on glittering career in final race at Great North Run

10 September 2023 , 22:47

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Sir Mo Farah was emotional after finishing the Great North Run (Image: Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Sir Mo Farah bowed out from his storied distance running career, racing for the final time at the Great North Run on Sunday.

Farah could only finish fourth in the famous half-marathon from Newcastle to South Shields. But the crowds turned out to see the four-time Olympic champion and send him on his way after he made the decision to call time on his career back in April.

The 40-year-old ran wearing a bib that read "Sir Mo” and finished in 1:03:28, three minutes and 30 seconds behind Ethiopia's Tamirat Tola, who won the men's elite race in a time of 59 minutes and 58 seconds.

"It's very emotional. There was a lot going through my mind," Farah told BBC Sport. "All I know is running and that is what made me happy for so many years. Running is everything to me. Running is what saved me."

He added: "Without the crowd I wouldn't have got through it. I wanted to end my career here in Newcastle. I've had some amazing memories. It's really important to come out here and give my support to the crowd.

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"It's very important to have a race like this. Without the support and community in Newcastle, it wouldn't be the same."

Farah bid farewell to London at the Big Half a week earlier, where he also finished fourth. It has been clear for some time that he can no longer keep up with the younger runners in the field, but he bows out with his status as one of the country’s greatest ever athletes secured.

Sir Mo Farah took in the adulation from the crowds (Stu Forster/Getty Images)

After his final ever race, Great North Run founder and Former European 10,000m champion Brendan Foster declared: "Mo Farah is the greatest sportsman or woman Britain has ever had. We'll never see his type again."

Farah’s high point is obvious: London 2012, when he completed a stunning double on home soil by winning the Olympic 5,000m and 10,000m. Incredibly, he then defended both titles four years later at Rio 2016 to further cement his name in athletics history.

Mo Farah completed the 5,000m and 10,000m double at London 2012 (PA)

He has also won six world, five European and two European indoor titles, as well as the Chicago Marathon. While his attempts to crack the 26.2-mile distance in his latter years have brought some frustrations, Farah will be remembered for the good times.

Explaining his decision to retire after the Big Half, he said: “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.

“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.”

Felix Keith