Great Britain's Mo Farah won a record fifth Great North Run – a five star certified road race by European Athletics Running for All – in 59:26 on Sunday.
It was also Farah's fifth consecutive win in the race, with New Zealand's Jake Robertson 31 seconds back in second place.
Farah narrowly missed his half marathon best of 59:22 – the fastest ever time by a European distance although the Great North Run is not a record-eligible course so Farah’s 59:32 from Lisbon in 2015 is the continental record – set in the same race three years ago; finishing four seconds outside it after fading slightly in the final 300 metres, having pulled clear of Robertson with about two miles to go.
Belgium's Berlin 2018 European Athletics Championships 10,000m silver medallist Bashir Abdi was third in 1:00:43, taking more than minute off his best.
'Training's different now as I'm not in the track season, I've been doing a lot more long runs and in terms of endurance I'm definitely fitter,' said four-time Olympic champion Farah, who is building up for the Chicago Marathon next month.
'Just coming into that headwind, it was so tough. I wasn't going smooth, I was going up and down. I honestly thought I could beat my personal best today, but those last two miles really hurt,' he reflected.
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. They form the foundation of Running for All, a strong, recognisable brand for running activities throughout Europe.
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Website: european-running4all.org
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