Sir Mo Farah is looking forward to ending his career at the “incredible” Great North Run on Sunday.
The four-time Olympic champion announced earlier this year that his last event will be at the famous North East half marathon, which 60,000 participants will be running.
Farah has won the Great North Run six times previously and is excited to bring the curtain down on the streets of Tyneside for one last time this weekend.
We are privileged to be hosting @mo_farah's final ever race at this year's AJ Bell #GreatNorthRun! 🤩
🎁 In honour of Sir Mo’s incredible sporting career & his Great North Run legacy, we wanted to show him our appreciation by making him an honorary Geordie! 🙌#OneMoTime pic.twitter.com/DWqxW3hAk6
— Great Run (@Great_Run) September 4, 2023
“It’s very exciting to be finishing my last run at the Great North Run. It has been so good to me over the years and this is the final time,” Farah told the PA news agency.
“The race means a lot, to see Brendan (Foster) and the team how they made this event one of the biggest events in the world, to see how far it’s grown.
“On Sunday there’ll be 60,000 people taking part and it’s not just for the elite, it’s for the masses.
“I’ve always made this run in terms of my last race and to come out over the years and win it six times is incredible.”
After revealing in January that he would be ending his career in 2023, Farah’s farewell has seen him post eighth and ninth-placed finishes in the Great Manchester Run 10K and the London Marathon respectively earlier this year.
His last London competition took place at the Big Half last weekend, where he finished fourth, and Farah is determined to enjoy his final outing on Sunday.
Sir Mo Farah finished fourth at the Big Half in London last month (Bob Martin for London Marathon Events/PA)
“I think most importantly… get the race out of the way and just enjoy it,” he added.
“I’m looking forward to it, when you’re an elite athlete you expect to be at the front, to be competitive with others and my body hasn’t been able to do that for the last couple of years.
“That’s what for me was really important, when you’re not performing at your best anymore and getting on a bit, it’s very important that you end it at some point.
“But when is that right moment? For me, finally, this is it.”
Farah’s glittering career has seen him crowned World Champion six times and earn four Olympic gold medals, which includes the memorable moment he won gold at London 2012.
‘Super Saturday’ saw Farah, Jessica Ennis-Hill and Greg Rutherford all win gold within 44 minutes of each other at the Olympic Stadium, a moment the 40-year-old still cherishes.
Farah was one of the big winners on Super Saturday at London 2012 (Martin Rickett/PA)
Farah added: “I feel one of the highlights of the races I’ve taken part in has to be the race I did against Kenenisa Bekele and Haile Gebrselassie – to have those three guys in one race I thought was really amazing from Brendan and the team.
“But personally for myself if I were to look back one race and go, ‘what was that race you loved or thought was amazing?’ I’d probably say London 2012 to win on that Super Saturday, that gold medal, incredible.
“It’s always on the back of my mind that race… there’s days you’re feeling tired, days you feel like not training, but that’s the moment you look back on and get inspired. It gets you out of bed and you go, ‘OK I want that feeling again’.”
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