Mo Farah says he has been inspired by rival Kenenisa Bekele’s debut success at last weekend’s Paris marathon.
Speaking at his press conference ahead of this weekend’s eagerly anticipated London marathon, Farah said: “I want to congratulate him (Bekele) for running a great first marathon.
“Secondly, it gives me confidence, if he can do it, why can’t I?”
Whilst Bekele’s victory shows that winning on your debut is not inconceivable, Farah admitted that their first races over the distance would be very different experiences.
“This race is completely different to Paris… For him there was hardly anyone there to worry about, so I think he would have gone into it with a different mind-set to what I’ll have for London,” he explained
“London is far the toughest field we’ve ever seen.”
Commenting on the field and his tactics for the race, Farah said that he was aiming to stay with his experienced rivals and remain patient. On the subject of the quality of his competitors Farah joked: “I want to thank Dave Bedford for making the race hard for me!”
As for how well he knew them, he said: “I don’t know too much to tell you the truth. I’ve seen the races they’ve won in the last years, in particular marathons.”
While he may not have a close relationship with the men he lines up against this Sunday, Farah will clearly understand the task ahead of him. Even if he is a novice in the event, his world and Olympic success on the track where he beat other well fancied East Africans is sure to give him confidence.
“I know with my confidence on the track I do well, but the distance for me is a challenge and it’s something I really want to see if good at!”
