Mo Farah looking to “respect” the marathon

Mo Farah seems to be taking his humble approach to distance running dominance from the track to the roads with him.

The double Olympic and double world championship gold medallist in the 5000m and 10,000m is back training, but this time it’s for the marathon. The British star will make his marathon debut on home turf at the 2014 London marathon in April.

For now he’s just trying to get in enough running to be fit for the new distance, which is twice as far as any he’s raced before.

“I could be good at the marathon, and I could not be,” said Farah. “But I love the sport, I train hard, I love what I do.”

The London marathon is one of the world’s largest and most competitive marathons. The event often draws incredibly talented fields of athletes and winning is a mark as one of the world’s great runners. Farah will be in tough company, despite an excited British following of the sports icon.

Farah may not be the only well-known track athlete to make his debut in London. Kenenisa Bekele will also be debuting over the 42.4K distance in 2014.

The Ethiopian won the 10,000m at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. He won silver and gold in the 5,000m at those games also and was undefeated over 10,0000m at world championships between 2003 and 2009. He’s won so many golds at the world cross-country championships you can’t count them all on both hands. He had a few off years with injury but seems to be returning to form.

Bekele beat Farah in the Great North Run earlier this fall in his half-marathon debut. The victory surprised many.

Still, the two will have to contend with the regular marathon stars who show up in London each year.

Farah seems to understand that the marathon world is a different one from the track and he just wants to go out and compete hard.

“It would be nice to go out there and do a first marathon and do well,” he said. “But at the moment, I have to respect it. It will probably take me three or four times to get it right.”

His coach, Alberto Salazar, who also coaches Canadian Olympian Cam Levins, has said 2014 is the only year the Brit can contest the marathon without risking injury for the 2016 Rio Olympics.