BUPA Great North Run: Elite Men & Leading Brits

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Mo Farah, Kenenisa Bekele and Haile Gebrseilasie head the BUPA Great North Run elite entry list this weekend in what is being billed as the greatest half marathon head-to-head in history. The trio need no introduction and the race winner will undoubtedly come from one of the three. & who would bet against double-World and Olympic champion Mo coming out on top again, as he so often has in the last two years?

Mo Farah broke Nick Rose’s twenty eight year old British record at the New Orleans Rock n Roll Half Marathon in February, edging out Gebre Gebremariam in a sprint finish for victory in 60:59. He also won the New York Half in 2011, defeating Gebremariam again, in 60:23 (a time not officially ratified due to the gradient on the course) so already has a 100% record at the distance.

In comparison, it will be Kenenisa Bekele’s debut over the half marathon distance and the former double-Olympic champion has coyly played down his chances:

“It’s not going to be easy for me as the others have more experience over the distance and yes, I am the newcomer just starting to pursue a serious road running career. But I’ll be coming to the race fully prepared and determined to give it my best shot against two great athletes.”

If Bekele is as fully prepared and determined as he says then maybe Mo won’t have it all his own way. Whilst taking 2013 into account and Mo’s well-documented record-breaking over 1500m and gold medal winning in Moscow (his most-recent race was THAT 5,000m final in Moscow), Bekele has at least shown good form when he has toed the line.

Bekele ran 28:51 on the roads in Ireland in April before showing his class in Eugene with a 27:12 clocking at the end of May – a time that currently sees him sit fourth in the world this year. Bekele went on to clock 13:07 in Ostrava a month later but has raced sparingly since and that remains the biggest question mark over his chances this weekend.

As for Haile Gebrselassie, the former world record holder possesses a wealth of experience and has a 58:55 (!!) best to his name (but from back in 2006). Geb finished third at the BUPA Great Manchester 10k and clocked 1:01.14 over the half marathon distance in Austria earlier this year.

But, whilst Geb and Bekele’s bests over 10k & half marathon may be better than Mo’s, it has been some time since those heights were scaled. & if it were down to experience alone then Haile would win hands-down – but that’s probably the most unlikely outcome.

Mo admitted to struggling with stitch in the latter stages in New Orleans and will be hoping that experience doesn’t repeat itself on Sunday. He raced half the distance at the London Marathon in April – a learning curve for the real deal next year – and chinks in his armor appear few and far between.

Barring a real surprise, it’s likely to be less a three-way head-to-head and more a two-horse race. Bekele could upset the odds but Mo just doesn’t seem to lose when it matters anymore so it’s hard not to back him once again.

Not to be discounted, others that could be there or thereabouts include Danielle Meucci, with a 61:05 best (& remember his battle with Chris Thompson for second in the Euro 10,000m final in 2010?) and Australian Collis Birmingham, who clocked his PB & Oceania record of 60:56 in Japan in February before going on to finish 8th at the World XC a few weeks later.

Andy Vernon will be making only his third appearance over the distance this weekend and should be looking to improve on his 64:43 best set in 2010. The twenty seven year old put an injury-disrupted winter behind him to enjoy a summer that saw him crowned UK 5000m champion as well as clock 13:33.20 just over a week ago in Italy.

There’s potential for two Jonnies to be pushing for the top-10 in 2013. Liverpool’s Jonny Mellor committed early and finished an impressive 7th at the BUPA Great Manchester 10k earlier this year and also has a 62:59 PB from 2011 to his name. Aldershot, Farnham and District’s Jonny Hay won BUCS 5000m gold in May and the twenty one year old, who clocked 64:45 twelve months ago to finish 16th, could be pushing for a few places higher this time around.

After seventy one weeks on the racing sidelines Ryan McLeod has gradually returned to form and fitness throughout 2013. The north-east athlete and son of Mike McLeod, winner of the inaugural event in 1981, returned to win 10,000m silver at BUCS in May and has said he’s looking to race sensible this weekend.

Words: Chris Rainsford

LONDON (Reuters) – Athletics great Haile Gebrselassie warned Britain’s double Olympic and world champion Mo Farah on Friday not to make a premature switch from the track to the marathon.

Farah added the world distance double to the one he achieved at the 2012 London Olympics when he won the 5,000 and 10,000 metres at the recent world championships in Moscow.

He is only the second man, after Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele, to hold all four titles simultaneously.

Farah’s track future, however, is uncertain with a first full marathon pencilled in for London next year, having run half the race in the capital earlier this year.

Gebrselassie, a multiple Olympic and world champion over 10,000 metres as well as a former marathon world record holder, cautioned against a switch to the road and said Farah should concentrate instead on breaking records on the track.

“I would like to advise him to stay a little bit longer on the track,” the Ethiopian told ITV News London ahead of Sunday’s Great North Run where both runners as well as Bekele will compete.

“Very few athletes are successful in this business from track to road. It looks like it is (too soon for him) but I don’t know maybe I make a mistake.

“But if I run 3.28 for 1,500 metres why do I need to move to the marathon? I stay at 5,000 and 10,000 because there is a chance to break world records.”

Gebrselassie said he made a mistake in switching to the marathon too early in 2002 and immediately returned to the track after one race.

“After one marathon I stopped because I was not that good. The combination, the speed I had, instead of continuing I went back to the track,” he explained.

(Reporting by Toby Davis; editing by Tony Jimenez)