Great North Run: Mo Farah chasing record third successive title

Farah will run in the half-marathon on Sunday and former Olympic champion Greg Rutherford will compete in the long jump in the Great North CityGames on Gateshead quayside on Saturday

Britain's Mo Farah aims to become the first man to win three consecutive Great North Run titles when he races in Newcastle on Sunday.

Farah retained his 5,000m and 10,000m Olympic titles in Rio in August.

"I want to be able to finish at the top," said Farah, 33. "I said to myself once that when I can't hold it at the top, you'll see me doing other things."

The Great North Run, the world's biggest half-marathon, has grown from 12,000 runners in 1981 to 57,000.

The 13.1-mile course finishes at South Shields and takes in iconic sights such as the Tyne Bridge.

Farah plans to end his track career after the 2017 World Championships in London, but has not ruled out running the marathon at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

He said: "I'm 33 and you start to question yourself a little bit because you train hard and you haven't quite recovered - why haven't I recovered, what do I need to do?

"As you get older it gets a little harder, but at the same time it's about having patience and having that belief and trying to work it out."

Farah's wife Tania will also compete, although Farah said he was "a hard task-master" during her training.