Mo Farah will return to the Virgin Money London Marathon, a five-star certified road race by European Athletics Running for All, on 28 April 2019.
With four Olympic gold medals, five European outdoor and six world titles to his name, Farah is already Britain’s most decorated track and field athlete and now he is breaking more records on the roads.
In his first full season as a dedicated marathon runner, Farah finished third in this year’s London Marathon in a British record of 2:06:21.
He then bettered that mark in October’s Bank of America Chicago Marathon where he recorded his first marathon victory, setting a new European record of 2:05:11 to eclipse Sondre Nordstad Moen’s mark of 2:05:48.
He will return to the Virgin Money London Marathon in 2019, looking to continue his upward trajectory.
“Get me down!”
— London Marathon (@LondonMarathon) November 20, 2018
Sir @Mo_Farah looks back at his painful finish to the 2018 Virgin Money London Marathon...#LondonMarathon #MoTime pic.twitter.com/J9FDUDGcgF
Farah said: 'I’m delighted to confirm I’ll be returning to race the Virgin Money London Marathon again next year. I’ve often said how racing in London is very special to me and the London Marathon gives me the chance to run in front of my fans, on my home roads, where the atmosphere is like nothing else.
'I feel I have made great strides in the past year, finishing third in London in April, and winning my first major marathon in Chicago in October. That and breaking both the British and European records has given me the confidence that I can compete against the best marathon runners in the world.
'London always puts together a world-class field and I expect that will be exactly the same in 2019 and I can’t wait for the challenge.'
Farah survived the blistering early pace in last year’s race, passing through halfway in 61:03 before finishing third behind Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge in 2:04:17 and Ethiopia’s Shura Kitata in 2:04:49.
The Brit ran a more conservative race in Chicago, running negative splits to win in 2:05:11. After the race, Farah said he believes he is capable of taking his European record down to 2:03 or 2:04.
The European Athletics Quality Road Race standards act as an assurance for road runners throughout Europe. They distinguish between races that respect the standards and those that haven’t sought certification or assessment, and form the foundation of Running for All, a strong, recognisable brand for running activities throughout Europe.
More information on Running for All:
Website: european-running4all.org
Contact: [email protected]
For more information on the 2019 European Running Business Conference:
Please click here or contact: [email protected]. The European Running Business Conference will take place in Prague from 6-8 September 2019 and registration for the conference is already open.