Sir Mo Farah showed that he has made a smooth transition to the road after victory in Chicago in only his third-ever marathon, breaking the European record in the process.
In what was billed as a battle with former training partner Galen Rupp, Farah crossed the line in 2:05.11, a personal best of 70 seconds and well clear of the continental best set by Norway’s Sondre Nordstad Moen last December.
That was enough to see off the challenge of Ethiopia’s Mosinet Geremew in second, with Japan’s Suguru Osaka breaking the national record on the way to third.
And Farah was understandably thrilled at the result, even if he admitted that the conditions were not ideal in the early miles.
“It was amazing to cross the line first,” he said.
“This is a major marathon. It was nice to be able to race against Galen and the rest of the guys. I wasn’t sure about the pace at the start because the conditions were not great but we picked it up.”
Four-time Olympic champion Farah becomes the first British man to win the Chicago Marathon since Paul Evans back in 1996, while Paula Radcliffe won the women’s event in 2002. Sportsbeat 2018