Four-time Olympic gold medallist Sir Mo Farah has declared he would “love to be part” of a future Dubai Marathon.
Sir Mo, 35, is the most successful British track athlete in modern Olympic Games history thanks to his 5,000 metre and 10,000m doubles from the 2012 and 2016 Games. Attention, however, since 2017 has switched to the road, with a maiden marathon win coming in only his third race at Chicago last month.
The Dubai Marathon has become a staple on the sporting calendar since 2000’s inaugural event. Speaking to Sport360 on Saturday at a Dubai Fitness Challenge event on The Palm, Farah expressed a desire to join a list of luminaries which includes Ethiopia icon Haile Gebrselassie.
He said: “If Dubai invites me, I’d love to do it here. Obviously, it just depends, innit.
“There is always different times of year. I love this country and that is what brings us here.
“To connect with people here and to be part of the Dubai Fitness Challenge.
“But at the same time, I’d love to be part of the Dubai Marathon one day here.”
The milestone 20th running of the Dubai event is set to take place in front of Madinat Jumeirah on January 25, 2019. More than 30,000 runners are set to take part in the world’s richest road race, with a winner’s prize of $200,000.
This year’s was won by Ethiopia’s Mosinet Geremew in a time of two hours and four minutes.
Farah has previously stated his next marathon will come in the spring. London or Boston are the favourites.
Enjoying nice holiday with my family...! taniafarah86 @mydubai hussein_mofarah #farahfamily #husseinknows #mydubai https://t.co/KQlQaqHyO9
— Sir Mo Farah (@Mo_Farah) October 30, 2018
This weekend, Farah took part in a run around Palm Jumeirah Fitness Village and was on hand to offer expert advice.
He said: “It is nice to be in Dubai, for once. I’m chilling out, living the dream and enjoying time with my family – my wife and kids are here.
“It is nice to show people what’s possible. It’s nice to be part of Dubai Fitness Challenge.
“I love the city, it is doing amazing at encouraging people to stay active and stay strong. It’s got everything you need.
“It’s been a great experience for us.”
The Dubai Fitness Challenge is set to run until November 24. It’s aim is to get people doing 30 minutes of exercise for 30 days.
