Mo Farah to kick off 2015 with cross-country race

One of running’s biggest stars is returning to race on the grass this winter. Mo Farah has announced he will kick off his 2015 season with a cross-country meet at home in Great Britain. He will be racing the Great Edinburgh XCountry meet in the Scottish capital.

Farah is the defending European, world and Olympic 5,000m and 10,000m champion and, after winning his double gold at home during the London Olympics, became an international star. The international track star hasn’t competed in a cross-country race in four years, since before he was as well known in the U.K. as he has become. His last cross-country race was this same event in Edinburgh at the start of 2011.

The 31-year-old will use the January kickoff race to help prepare himself to defend his two world championship golds next summer in Beijing at the 2015 world championships.

“For many years, I ran cross-country to build my base for the summer track season and it will be nice to return to Edinburgh and try to repeat my winning run of 2011 there,” Farah told the BBC.

Farah largely took the 2014 season away from the track, using the year to test himself in the marathon. He made his earnest marathon debut in the spring the London Marathon, where he finished eighth. He missed the Commonwealth Games due to illness but did contest the European Championships, where he won double gold in the 5,000m and 10,000m.

Canadian standout 5,000m and 10,000m  runner Cam Levins trains alongside Farah in Portland, Ore. The two are members of the Oregon Project, coached by three-time New York City Marathon champion Alberto Salazar. The training group is one of the best in the world.