Mo Farah set to tackle Big Half as London race passes inspection

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Sir Mo FarahImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Farah retired from track competition to focus on road events after winning gold and silver at the 2017 World Athletics Championships

The Vitality Big Half

Venue: Streets of London Date: Sunday, 4 March Time: From 09:00 GMT

Coverage: Listen to live commentary on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra, BBC Radio London and the BBC Sport website and app.

Four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah will compete in the inaugural 'Big Half' race in London on Sunday as he steps up his preparation for next month's London Marathon.

Farah, 34, arrived to freezing weather conditions in the capital after a six-week training block in Ethiopia.

But the new, mass-participation event over 13.1 miles goes ahead following a course inspection on Saturday.

"Training's gone well and I'm looking forward to testing myself," said Farah.

Farah, the British record holder for the half-marathon, is now being trained by Paula Radcliffe's husband Gary Lough as he seeks to make his mark on the road after a stellar track career.

"It's exciting now to go from track to road - it's a challenge," said Farah, who 24 hours earlier was sitting in his garden with his shirt off in temperatures of 25C.

He will take on Scotland's Callum Hawkins, who came fourth in the marathon at the World Championships last year, and 2017 London Marathon winner Daniel Wanjiru of Kenya.

"I wanted to start anew with Gary and it's going well," he said. "He's a great coach and what he has achieved over the years with Paula is incredible.

"You definitely won't see me on the track. I want to learn about the marathon and see what I can achieve."

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