Mo Farah is set to compete in the New York City half marathon on March 16 in preparation for his marathon debut in London.
The Briton ran 13.1 miles of the London marathon in 2013 but this year he will be back racing the full distance against a stellar line-up.
The 30-year-old is no stranger to the streets on New York, in 2011 he won the event with a British record breaking time of 60 minutes and 23 seconds.
Farah spoke: “I have been training hard in Kenya and hope to use the New York race to gauge my fitness one month out from my 26.2-mile debut.”
Still working hard in Kenya….!! 2 more weeks till New York…!! #onemomile pic.twitter.com/psKxWdelNs
— Mo Farah (@Mo_Farah) March 1, 2014
Mary Wittenberg, New York Road Runners president, spoke of Farah’s attendance: “We’re very excited to welcome Mo back to the NYC Half.
“This is a huge thrill for New Yorkers, who will get to see the world’s top distance runner on the streets of Manhattan.
“Mo’s star quality and fan following are unmatched in our sport, and we are honored to have him highlight our professional field.”
Victory will by no means be a formality for the Brit, though. Farah will face stiff competition in the form of Geoffrey Mutai and Meb Keflezighi.
Mutai, who will also go head-to-head with Farah in the London marathon, boasts an impressive half marathon best of 58 minutes and 58 seconds.
The Kenyan has broke the 60 minute barrier six times throughout his career and providing weather condition are suitable, has made his intentions of breaking the course record (59.24) clear.
Mutai spoke: “I’m happy because I like to compete with strong athletes, and it is a challenge for me to compete with Farah.”
Keflezighi will also hope to be in the mix on home soil, too. The 38-year-old set his 13.1 mile best back in 2009 with a respectable 60 minute and one second clocking in California.
The American recently won the U.S half marathon title in Houston and has competed in the NYC half three times, with his best performance in 2006 when he finished second.
Also challenging for top spot will be Wesley Korir (1.01.19), Stephen Sambu (1.00.41), Matt Tegenkamp (debut), Jason Hartmann (1.01.51) and Arne Gabius (debut).
Farah excited to pound the streets of New York:
