MO FARAH made a spectacular recovery after a slow start to score a thrilling victory at the BUPA Great South Run in Portsmouth on Sunday.
Farah, in the best ever finish to the 10-mile race, recovered to win ahead of Stephen Mokoka by a second in a time of 46 minutes 26 seconds, with Luke Kibet, the 2007 champion, third in 47 minutes 16 seconds.
The 26-year-old Londoner, in his first serious race over the distance on the flat and fast Portsmouth course, seemed to have blown his chances when the African pair opened a 25-yard gap just two miles into the race.
The South African and Kenyan slightly extended it with Mokoka, who posted a national best performance, dropping his Kenyan rival just before eight miles, which prompted a revival of Farah’s own fortunes.
Farah, believing in his own previous tactics and seeing Kibet back in his sights, quickly tracked down the former world marathon record holder and then, with just over a mile to run, came level with Mokoka.
The pair, fighting a tense battle and battered by a gale-force wind blowing off the River Solent, fought a closely contested and nervous final mile which went to the wire in a pulsating finish.
Farah waited until 150 metres before making his final sprint for the line, but Mokoka, his country’s number one, refused to throw in the towel, guaranteeing a nail-biting finish before losing out by a stride.
Farah said: “The boys didn’t make it easy at all for me. I think they wanted to get rid of me. Stephen went off and kept pushing and pushing, and he and Luke opened a gap on me.”
Despite falling behind, Farah, the first Briton to win the GSR since Gary Staines scored his third and final victory in 1996, was always confident of his tactics.
“We went through 10km, and I knew it was quite fast, and with the last two miles knowing it was going to be windy, I was thinking I must keep some energy because conditions weren’t easy,” Farah said.
Farah, now the UK’s third-fastest performer, insisted: “The crowd made a big difference for me, they kept cheering my name - it’s a nice feeling, particularly in those last two miles.”
Ines Monteiro took a leaf out of fellow Portuguese Jessica Augusto’s book as she spread-eagled the field to win the women’s event.
The European cross-country bronze medallist, who trains with Augusto, hit the front immediately and by two miles was 20 yards ahead of her much more fancied rivals, including two-time world marathon champion Catherine Ndereba.
Monteiro’s decision to run solo from the start despite the windy conditions paid dividends as she drew further and further clear of a star-studded field to post a national best mark of 52 minutes 32 seconds.
“I spoke with Jessica before coming here, and I felt, with many experienced runners in the race, it would be the best way for me to win,” Monteiro said.
