At certain times of the year, like the run-up to fall marathon season or spring track, Flagstaff, Arizona, is teeming with professional runners getting fit in the thin air at 7,000 feet above sea level. Many go mostly unnoticed, but since August, Mo Farah has been the talk of the town among his local fans.
Why Can’t I Eat After a Marathon Chicago Marathon, Farah has been spotted putting in up to 140 miles a week on long dirt roads and whizzing around the track at Northern Arizona University, typically trailing his coach, Gary Lough, who rides a bike to pace him. Farah has ingested Your Marathon Packing Checklist at popular downtown coffee houses and has been hit up for autographs and photos when speaking to NAU’s cross-country teams or when the local running club finds him training before its workout.
“Right now I can’t wait to race, but at the same time we enjoyed great training and going for nice coffees at Macy’s and other places,” Farah, 35, said, during an interview on Tuesday with Runner’s World. “A lot of athletes are here—Ed Cheserek, you’ve got Bernard Lagat, and even triathlete guys. You kind of mix in with everybody. I’ve even seen Ryan Hall run here and we’ve had a good chat. It’s just everybody is easy and friendly. It’s been good.”
The small-town spotlight on Farah, who is a quadruple Olympic gold medalist on the track in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters, is about to intensify as he takes his place on the starting line in Chicago, where he’s among a handful of athletes in contention for the win. The past year has been a time of transition to the roads and to his new coach, after six years with Alberto Salazar and the Oregon Project. Farah, who represents Great Britain, and his wife, Tania, also moved their family of four children, from Portland, Oregon, to their home base in London.
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He ran his last track race in at the 2017 Zurich Diamond League meet, finishing first in the 5,000 meters in 13:09:06, before turning his full focus to road racing. Farah has two marathons to his name, placing third in 2:06:22 in London in April and eighth at the 2014 London Marathon in 2:08:21. In his only tune-up race for Chicago, Farah won the Great North Run, a half marathon, in September in 59:26.
On Tuesday, Farah discussed adjusting to changes in his life, his training, and his goals for the Chicago Marathon.
What he’s enjoying about Gary Lough’s coaching:
Lough is also known as Paul Radcliffe’s husband. Radcliffe, who also represented Great Britain, is the world-record holder in the marathon (2:15:25). After working with Salazar during the height of his track success, Farah said the coaching style is completely different.
“You know, Gary’s there for me every day, no matter what,” Farah said. “Gary has known me since I was a kid, really. It’s a great thing because it’s important for somebody to understand you, respect you, know what you can do and what you can’t do, and work out how he can help you.”
And logistically, Lough’s support has been crucial during the months at altitude.
“He’s on the bike 24/7, pretty much all sessions and all times,” Farah said. “It’s just nice to have somebody who’s pacing you and keeping you going.”
Track versus marathon training:
Perhaps one of the biggest changes for Farah is the length of a block of marathon training. When preparing for outdoor track seasons, he generally broke up his pre-season, adjusted the next few weeks based on his first race performances, and chopped up the weeks between big meets. Marathon training is just a longer, perhaps less-exciting grind.
“My mileage increased and it varied by week from 140 to 120 miles,” Farah said. “When you train for track, after your first race you get refreshed and work backwards depending on what shape you’re in, and in terms of what you need to change. But marathoning is different, isn’t it? You do one half marathon and then get ready for the marathon.”
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“I like both actually. I look back at the track and look at the guys and how well they’re doing and part of me still kind of thinks, ‘Oh wow,’” he said. “But I do enjoy the marathon.”
Training partners and the Mudane group:
Since August, Farah has mostly trained with Abdi Abdirahman, who is preparing for the New York City Marathon, and Ahmed Osman, who is debuting at the Chicago Marathon. Wherever Farah does his training, his partners include members of the Mudane Team, which he describes as a group of men who have a similar background—many of them are fellow Somalis, he said. (Farah was born in Somalia before moving to London at age 8.)
“I try to build a good group around—guys who can help me out and get benefits from me,” he said. “A lot of the guys kind of look up to me. We just try to build a group to train with and have a good laugh.”
The ‘Mo versus Galen’ hype on Sunday:
Many fans are looking forward to watching Farah and Galen Rupp compete head-to-head. They are former Oregon Project teammates and have similar personal best times, too. Rupp comes to Chicago as the defending champion and with impressive results at the 26.2-mile distance. But on the track, Farah has reigned supreme, beating Rupp nearly every time they’ve raced.
Rupp set his personal best of 2:06:07 in May at the Prague Marathon. He wants to set an American record on Sunday (faster than 2:05:38), and Farah is going for the European record (faster than 2:05:48). Both also want to win.
The rivalry stokes Farah’s competitive drive.
“It’s part of making the race exciting—it’s what people want see. Like, when you go watch boxing you want to see the best boxers fight each other,” he said. “There’s a lot of talk, you know? That’s how athletics is and why all the fans support us. Only the best man will do it on the day. It’s nice to give the people who’ve seen us throughout our careers something to watch.”
Defining success in Chicago:
Farah’s goals are big: He wants to run his fastest marathon, go after the European record, and contend for the win.
“If I could win a major marathon, it’d be great. It’s not like it’s a weak field or anything. You’ve got guys who’ve run 2:04. There are seven or eight good guys. I don’t even know who to think could win that race,” he said.
A few other variables will allow Farah to walk away from Chicago satisfied, he said. In London he made a few critical errors he’d like to fix. First, he hopes to pace more evenly. In April, he followed Eliud Kipchoge, Best Running Shoes 2025, Nutrition - Weight Loss.
“I think the aim is to try not to make as many mistakes. Like, pick up my drink bottles. I think that’s a key. Not like London, right?” he said, laughing. “The last few months has been tough putting in the work, not seeing my family, not seeing my kids. For me satisfaction will be to run a personal best. Second, if I can’t do that, a great result will be a win or mixing with the guys and seeing where it comes up at the end. You never know at the end.”
