Four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah says it would be an “amazing achievement” to topple Eliud Kipchoge at Sunday’s London Marathon.
Kenyan Kipchoge set the world record of two hours one minute 39 seconds in Berlin in September – three and a half minutes faster than Farah’s best – and has three of the top 10 marathon times.
“Eliud is a great athlete and the world record holder,” said the Briton, 36.
“I’m going to go out there and give it my best.”
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Farah’s final preparations for the race have coincided with an extraordinary row with Ethiopian long-distance great Haile Gebrselassie.
Farah alleged that he had thousands of pounds stolen while staying at a hotel owned by Gebrselassie, who responded by revealing that Farah was involved in a physical fight with another guest.
He also said that the two’s relationship deteriorated after he barred Farah from bringing Jama Aden, a coach who was arrested as part of an anti-doping operation in Spain in 2016, to the hotel.
Farah denies the latter claim.
Kipchoge, 34, won the London Marathon for a third time (previous wins 2015 and 2016) last year, while Farah finished third, setting a new British record on his debut over the distance.
Since switching from the track in 2013, Kipchoge has won all but one of his 11 marathons including Olympic gold at Rio 2016. He came within 26 seconds of breaking the two-hour barrier at an unofficial assisted race in the Italian city of Monza in May 2017.
By contrast, Farah’s best – a 2:05:11 effort in victory in Chicago in October – is only 90th in the all-time list.
“Racing against Eliud in London was learning the hard way – but I believe I learned a lot,” Farah said of last year’s race.
“After each race you get a bit better, that bit more experienced. I believe I could have gone a little bit faster in Chicago – 2:04-something, but I don’t know.
“It’s nice to be back in my home city; it’s really exciting. I feel more nervous and hungry again. I’m not used to winning in the marathon, so I feel like I’ve got my mojo back.”