With cool, rainy conditions, and the finest field in a decade at least, Mo Farah won his first marathon. Using tactics similar to his approach to the 10,000 meters, Mo Farah kept his cool, and used a brutal last 10,000 meters (29:00) to take the race from six to four, to two. Running the last 2.2 kilometers in 6:25, or 14:37 pace, Mo Farah put some daylight between Mosinet Geremew, the winner of Dubai last January.
Mo Farah takes control, 2018 Bank of America Chicago Marathon, photo by Sean Hartnett, Bank of America Chicago Marathon
If there was tension felt by Mo Farah, no one told Mo. This writer watched him have a modest breakfast around 5 am and head to the elite bus. Running 1:03:06 i the first half, Mo let the race evolve, and when it came time to run, about 20 miles, Mo was there. Chicago Marathon has been pretty modest much of the last decade, with Galen Rupp’s win in 2017 waking people up. This year, the field was deeper than any WMM but London.
Farah has won 10,000m champs in 2012,2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, his last non win was in 2011 and that was a silver. His 5000m golds in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014,2015, 2016 ended in 2017, when Ethiopian athletes did everything but trip him to stop him from winning. But Mr. Farah has taken those track winning ways and moved them to the marathon, and with a new coach.
Gary Lough should sleep easily now, as he has taken the most massively talented distance runner and not screwed him up over 4 times the distance. Farah showed poise, self control and Mo zeness in his domination of the field in the Windy City on Sunday, October 7, 2018.
Please enjoy this podcast, produced by The Shoe Addict’s Mike Deering in record time after the race.
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