Mo Farah: ‘I’m just good at running around in circles’

Mohamed Farah knows a thing or two about just keeping on going.

Considered the most successful male track distance runner of all time, he holds the world record for the one-hour run and the European record for the outdoor 10,000m, plus British records for the 3,000m and 5,000m. He won the Chicago Marathon in 2018 too.

But even then, with all that experience, he knows exactly what hitting the wall feels like.

“Like the wheels come off!” says the 43-year-old over Zoom, throwing both hands in the air.

“It’s like being in a car, and then suddenly, they’re gone. You go, we’ve got to punch 1, 2, 3, and you’ve got to get that car across the line, it’s so difficult, but it’s all in the mind, as well as physically.”

Having the right support can be the thing that helps you push through it. “Just encourage one another,” he says.

“We’ve all been there and done it, even myself. Whether it’s 5k or the marathon, there’s certain moments in my career where perhaps, if I could talk about or have a little bit more help, that probably made me go a little bit further. I know the difference it makes.”

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Born Hussein Abdi Kahin, Farah teamed up with Buxton Natural Mineral Water and mental health charity Mind for this year’s boiling TCS London Marathon as part of their Side-by-Side ‘Sweat and Tears’ collaboration, designed to champion how vital connection, hydration, and movement is in supporting mental wellbeing. It saw Farah join runners at mile 24, one of the toughest points of the 26.2 mile challenge.

“I’ve been there. I am a champion. I was elite. But even myself, I’ve gone through that,” says Farah. “Towards the end, where they are telling themselves, ‘I can’t do it. I’m going to quit,’ all that