‘Part of me wanted to cry’: Mo Farah finishes ninth in last London marathon

There was no glorious farewell for Mo Farah in the city where he burnt himself into the national consciousness as he struggled home in ninth place in his final London marathon. But the 40-year-old, who confirmed afterwards that he will retire in September, was grateful that he made it to the finish – due, in part, to the huge crowds that swelled the route from Greenwich to the Mall.

Farah, one of the eternal faces of London’s 2012 Olympic Games, even found himself beaten by two British athletes: the 25-year-old Emile Cairess, who showed immense promise to finish sixth in his debut marathon, and Phil Sesemann, who combines running with his day job as a junior doctor for the NHS, yet still came eighth. Intriguingly Cairess and Sesemann often train together in Leeds, although they no longer go on slower runs together after Cairness tripped over Sesemann’s dogs, Haile and Kipchoge, named after two legendary athletes.

Afterwards Farah, whose time of 2hr 10min 28sec was the slowest of his career, could not hide his disappointment. However, he admitted it could have been worse without the continuous cries of “Go on Mo!” and the ringing of cowbells spurring him on. “If it wasn’t for the crowd, at some point I would have dropped out,” he admitted. “That’s what kept me going. It was amazing support. Part of me wanted to cry. But the people were amazing, even in the rain, to line the streets. It’s what has kept me going for so long throughout my career.

“I will miss that feeling. I am emotional today. London has been so great to me over the years and I wanted to be here to say thank you to the crowd.”

Farah had started brightly but after 14 miles his legs became heavy and he laboured as Cairess overtook him. The changing of the