‘Get a good start, save energy for finish’

It’ll allow you to go faster in the last part. If you overcook it in the first half, it is really hard to recover

British Olympic legend Sir Mo Farah had some invaluable words of advice for the 60,000 runners taking part in the 20th edition of the Tata Mumbai Marathon on Sunday. Speaking at a press conference at the Mumbai Marathon press centre, Farah, the international ambassador of the annual event, said, “First point is to get off to a good start. Second, get to the halfway and reserve your energy. It’ll allow you to go faster in the last part. If you overcook it in the first half, it is really hard to recover.”

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Farah, a winner of four gold medals at the Olympics and six World Championship titles, also shared some insight into his own running routine that could help runners improve their performance at the marathon. “I always tell myself to break down the miles. Just get through this mile, and then the next one, and then the one after that. Even in some of the London Marathons, I was struggling from the get-go, but I wasn’t thinking that I’ve got 42 kms to go. I was thinking about just getting through each mile,” explained Farah.

The British champion also revealed that his proudest achievement was at his home Olympic Games in London (2012), where he completed the Olympic double (gold in the 10,000m and 5,000m events). The special feat came after Farah suffered heartbreak at the previous Olympics in Beijing (2008), where he failed to make the cut for the final, leading him to question his ability. “I asked myself if I was good enough,” said Farah, going on to advise marathoners to “enjoy the journey, keep things simple and don’t be afraid to make mistakes.”

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