The Big Half 2022: Mo Farah and Eilish McColgan win London half-marathon races
- Published
McColgan and Farah proved to be the class of their respective fields in the Big Half
Mo Farah won the men's Big Half in London, while Eilish McColgan set a course record to win the women's race.
Four-time Olympic gold medallist Farah claimed his third win in the half-marathon event, crossing the line in one hour one minute 49 seconds.
McColgan was out on her own for much of the race and won in 1:07:35 to smash the previous course record of 1:09:51.
David Weir set a course record to win the men's wheelchair race and Eden Rainbow-Cooper won the women's.
Six-time Paralympic champion Weir, who also won the event in 2019, set new figures of 47:18, while Commonwealth Games silver medallist Rainbow-Cooper equalled the women's record of 56:39.
Farah's last race produced a shock defeat by club runner Ellis Cross at the Vitality 10,000 in May.
But on Sunday he surged clear of a group of four after about 50 minutes to win comfortably, with Jack Rowe in second and 2021 winner Jake Smith in third.
It was Farah's first race since disclosing that he was trafficked into the UK as a child.
He is part of the field for October's London Marathon, where he is competing for the first time since 2019, having been a pacemaker at the elite-only event in 2020.
"It's nice to be back," said Farah after his Big Half win. "I love this course. It wasn't easy but most important, I think, was the win.
"The key thing for me was to try to win no matter what happened. It was all practice for the London Marathon.
"I'm excited and looking forward to it. The last several weeks have been good - I've got good consistent training going so I'm happy where I am."
McColgan's victory rounds off a superb season for the 31-year-old, which has included Commonwealth Games gold for Scotland at 10,000m plus three other medals at Commonwealth and European level, and European 10km and British half-marathon records on the road.
She has withdrawn from next month's London Marathon because of a medical issue identified as rebound hypoglycaemia, which affects endurance athletes and leads to reduced blood sugar levels.
"It's been a dream season," said McColgan, who was followed home at the Big Half by 2021 winner Charlotte Purdue and Samantha Harrison.
"I'm really happy. It was nice to be back in London and it was an incredible experience.
"The crowd were amazing. I had people cheering, shouting 'go on Liz' halfway through as well so I was trying hard not to smile and laugh."
On her withdrawal from the London Marathon, she added: "It's disappointing. If it was up to me then I would probably try to muscle through it but I know that is my heart speaking. The sensible decision is to get everything right for April."
Although not confirmed, the London Marathon is expected to revert to its traditional April date from next year.
How to fool the opposition effectively in sport: Sideways delves into the world of deception
From footballing heaven to personal hell: The raw and honest story of Paul Gascoigne and his turbulent life
