Athletics Weekly interviews Gary Lough and Mo Farah prior to Vitality Half Marathon!

RunBlogRun opines: Athletics Weekly, our friends across the proverbial pond, posted a fantastic piece in the past day. The following interview is with Gary Lough and Mo Farah. As many know, Mo Farah has given up the track for the roads. Gary Lough will be coaching Mo Farah in this part of his journey. Gary is a 3:34 1,500 meter runner, a fine coach, and among his coaching successes was his wife, one Paula Radcliffe.

Paula Radcliffe and Gary Lough, photo by PhotoRun.net

Sifan Hassan to compete at the TCS Sydney Marathon 2025

The 51rst NYC Marathon Rewind, Chapter #7: Rod Dixon speaks about the 40th anniversary of his historic New York Marathon (RunBlogRun Archives)

Will a win -or anything else- matter for Eliud Kipchoge at the 2023 Berlin Marathon?

Paula Radcliffe is the WR holder in the marathon, and Gary Lough obviously knows the event. Gary Lough has taken some undue criticism on coaching Mo Farah.

Remember, it took Haile Gebrselassie three years to really get the hang of the marathon. Mo Farah should do well. The Vitality Half Marathon is a good spring test of his fitness.

The Vitality Half is an event produced by the management of the Virgin Money London Marathon. And please, please, subscribe to Athletics Weekly, first published in 1945 (starting with issue 3, google that mystery).

Gary Lough and Mo Farah, photo courtesy of Athletics Weekly

Mo Farah’s new coach, Gary Lough, plans to work on the world and Olympic champion’s weak areas while not neglecting his strong points in the run-up to the Virgin Money London Marathon in April.

Lough and Farah spoke to the organisers ahead of this weekend’s Vitality Big Half, where Farah tackles 13.1 miles, with Lough saying: “To be one of the best distance runners ever, there was obviously a lot of his programme that he was doing right. We’re looking at a new event but we’re also looking at someone who’s run 3:28 for 1500m, which is pretty unprecedented.”

Lough, who is married to world marathon record-holder Paula Radcliffe and who has run a 3:34 1500m himself, continued: “What I plan to do is incorporate little bits of all sorts of things to hopefully try and create the best overall package for Mo. Obviously work at the things he’s very good at but also work at the things he’s not very good at – and hopefully we can come out with the best result.”

Farah said: “He’s been an incredible coach (with Radcliffe), so if I was going to move to the marathon then why not Gary?”