British athletics legend Mo Farah will run in the 2019 London Marathon as part of his preparations for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
He finished third in London in April and followed that up with his first win at marathon distance in Chicago in October. Farah won in a time of 2:05:11 in Chicago, setting a new European record.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
“I’ve often said how racing in London is very special to me and the London Marathon gives me the chance to run in front of my fans, on my home roads, where the atmosphere is like nothing else,” said Farah.
“I feel I have made great strides in the past year, finishing third in London in April, and winning my first major marathon in Chicago in October. That and breaking both the British and European records has given me the confidence that I can compete against the best marathon runners in the world.
“London always puts together a world-class field and I expect that will be exactly the same in 2019 and I can’t wait for the challenge.”
Sky Sports reports that Farah has previously declared his intention to target the marathon at the Tokyo Olympics, but The Guardian says he has yet to announce if he will run the 26.2-mile race at the 2019 world championships in Doha next October.
Next year’s London Marathon will take place on Sunday 28 April.