One last push as Mo Farah aims to end season with Great North Run defence

Family time can wait until Mo Farah has defended his great North Run title, the double world champion determined to honour his wordMo Farah says the temptation to put his feet up at the end of a gruelling season could not stop the double world champion from defending his Morrisons Great North Run title.

Farah runs in the world’s premier half-marathon just two weeks after winning gold in both the 5,000m and 10,000m at the World Championships in Beijing.

He said: “It is amazing to have so many people supporting me up here, and I love the North East.

“I always love to end my season on a high up here, firstly down the Quayside at the Great North City Games and then with the Great North Run.

“This race is going to be exciting. It has got a good field, but the most important thing is just coming up here and enjoying the moment.”

Ready to rest after a tough year and with the Rio de Janeiro Olympics already looming into view, Farah said: “The year is pretty much done, but this race is one last push.

“The body is alright. Just one more race, hopefully, and then I’m finished. I can get that out of the way, have some down time and spend some time with the family.

“I am going home to see my girls, to live a normal family life with them. The girls know I will be back. I tell them that. They ask if I am going to be back soon. One of them, she knows what is going on.

“What makes it worthwhile (the time apart) is winning medals, getting on that podium. I do miss them a lot. I am excited to get the Great North Run out of the way and see them.

“My wife is pregnant and is due some point at end of September, or early October. Or it could come any minute. She is pretty big!”

Having won last year’s Great North Run in a dramatic sprint finish with Mike Keegan, Farah said: “Yeah, it was a great one to win when it was so close.

“Mike is a great athlete and he is here again. He will do his own thing, so I have just got to cover his every move and continue doing it.

“I am not thinking about anything other than winning this race, then going home and spending time with my family.

“It would have been easy to end my season after Beijing, but ages ago I said I would do the Great North Run.

“I like to finish it on home soil, for a lot of people to come out and enjoy it.

“I always like to end my season with the Great North Run. It is something I have always done.

“Even before I started to win medals I would do the one-mile, the two-mile. Once you say you are going to do something it is easy to pull out, but I wanted to stick to my word. I enjoy it.”

Revealing minimal specific training for the half-marathon distance, the double Olympic champion said: “It means a little bit more mileage. Not that much, in fairness.

“With the Great North Run coming so quickly after the World Championships I have not had much time, but I am in such good shape in any case that it doesn’t really bother me. I have not had much down time since the worlds, and that makes it easier.

“I am excited for the next 11 months, with the Olympics at the end of it. I have just got to stay injury-free, stay focused and keep doing what I am doing. I am enjoying it. I am happy and I am relaxed.

“Man, I’ve been so excited about this year, with everything in terms of breaking the world records, then breaking the European record at half-marathon, coming back, dealing obviously with a lot of things; to come out on top and win the worlds was amazing.

“I guess you don’t quite take it all in at the time, but when I went home and you reflect on everything, I couldn’t have asked for a better year.

“There are 11 months until the Olympics. It’s already in your head, ‘this year is done really, 11 months now’ and I am thinking about Rio. What is the plan. In my head, I am roughly thinking what to do.”