April is an amazing time of the year for Marathons around the world with the 2014 Boston Marathon on Monday 21st April, and London Marathon on the 13th April. The 2014 London marathon could be the best marathon field assembled yet. I wrote similar things last year and 2014 promises to be bigger. Amazingly much of the attention is on a debutant, unproven over the distance, but he’s certainly not any debutant. Mo Farah, the dual Olympic gold medalist (5000m & 10,000m), dual world championship gold medalist (5000m & 10,000m) and hometown hero.
Farah will line up for his first full marathon on 13th April against a field that contains the world record holder (Wilson Kipsang, 2:03:23), World Champion & Olympic gold medalist (Stephen Kiprotich), London marathon course record holder (Emmanuel Mutai) and defending London marathon champion (Tsegaye Kebede). Add to this list Geoffrey Mutai, the man who has run the fastest marathon in history, Boston 2011, although it’s not recognised as a Wold Record (only a World Best) due to the tailwind & net downhill course. The running talent on display in London in April is a dream come true for organisers with many tipping the 29 year old British marathon record of 2:07:13, could be in real danger. 
Mo Farah has played down expectations going into his first marathon, but his coach Alberto Salazaar has strongly focused his training on the London marathon, since his half marathon run in April last year. “I gained a lot of valuable experience running part of the course alongside the top guys last year and can’t wait to race over the full distance this April,” Farah said. “The London Marathon always attracts the world’s best runners to its elite fields and this year will be no different. I am expecting it to be one of my toughest races and a real learning experience.
Those world’s best he refers to includes 6 runners who have run sub 2:05 marathons: Wilson Kipsang (WR 2:03:23), fellow Kenyans Emmanuel and Geoffrey Mutai as well as the Ethiopian trio of Ayele Abshero, Feyisa Lilesa and defending champion Tsegaye Kebede.
The only notable absences from this amazing field are former world record holder Patrick Makau (Kenya), and Ethiopian superstar, Kenenisa Bekele, who will make his marathon debut in Paris on the 6th April. Bekele is one of only a few runners who has beaten Farah in recent years, and it took an amazing run in the Great North Run (half-marathon) in September last year. The finish to the race is up on You Tube & well worth a look if you haven’t already seen it!
Farah is an amazing runners, possibly developing into one of the bests of all time, but it will be interesting to see how he handles the step up to the marathon. For all it’s mystique and drama the marathon is just over 2hrs (a half marathon equivalent for mere mortals) but I think this distance still holds a few tricks. Will Farah pass his first test at the marathon? The world will be watching on the 6th April.
Farah, however, is not the only debutant racing in London who will be a force for the future, Ethiopia’s Ibrahim Jeilan, was 2011 10,000m world champion (defeating Mo Farah) and 2013 10,000m silver medalist (behind Farah). It will be interesting to see how they both adapt to the longer road race.
Regardless of the result it is going to be an amazing race with a field stacked full of Ethiopian, Ugandan and Kenyan superstars… all trying to outshine the hometown favourite, and debutant, Mo Farah.
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