Yahoo News Farah pulls out of Vitality Big Half in March
Last year, Sir Mo Farah announced he’d be taking a year off the marathon as he prepares for this year’s Tokyo Olympic games in November. That said, he had planned to return to the streets of London as he took on Bekele in the Vitality Big Half. Today, Farah has announced he will not be running, due to a minor achilles injury.
Farah, who was the winner of the event in the past two years, is understood to have suffered the injury in training. In a statement, Farah said "My priority is to be fit, healthy and competitive for the summer season. For that reason I have had to make the tough decision not to race this year. I definitely hope to be back again in 2021."
Farah will now focus on defending his 10,000m title at the Olympic games and will continue his training in Africa.
Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele, will still be using the race as a warm-up to the London Marathon, where he’ll take on Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge. Bekele finished just two-seconds off the marathon world record in Berlin last September, so the battle between Kipchoge and Bekele looks to be intense.
Lily Partridge, who was second in the elite women’s race at The Vitality Big Half in 2018, is the latest addition to the women’s field. She will line up against fellow Brits Hayley Carruthers and Stephanie Davis.
Farah has won the past two Vitality Big Half Marathons, crossing the line in 01:01:15 last year. Over the distance, Farah has a PB of 59 minutes and seven seconds.
The Vitality Big Half takes place on Sunday 1 March 2020.
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