He may be known for his exploits on the track, but retired Olympic distance runner Mo Farah’s speed translates just as well to casual life—especially if he’s chasing after a nicked phone.
The four-time gold medalist, who was out for a run with his wife in his gated community in Surrey, England, had left his phone on the side of one of the community’s private roads, intending to retrieve it at the end of their run, according to the Daily Mail.
Shortly after, however, he noticed a strange white van pull up that didn’t match the usual vibe of high-end sports cars seen in the exclusive estate. One of the two men in the van rushed for the phone and hopped back in as the driver sped off. Unlucky for them, Farah knows a thing or two about speeding himself.
Australian Sprinter, 16, Runs Record-Breaking 200m Daily Mail, one onlooker described the 41-year-old Farah as displaying “Olympic speed” as he took off after them at “full throttle.”
Sir Mo raced along the tree-lined streets of the 964-acre gated community and soon caught up with the van. He chastised the would-be thieves and recovered his phone earlier than anticipated, though it seems he still got in a solid workout. The van sped off shortly after before Farah could hit them with the mobot celebration.
The Olympian didn’t comment publicly about the situation, though he was reportedly furious at the white van being able to breach the security of the upscale estate.
Farah is one of Britain's most decorated track and field athletes. He won gold medals in the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters at both the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games. He also nabbed six gold medals at the World Championships and ended his career with a personal best of 2:05:11 in the marathon.
Laura Ratliff is a New York City-based writer, editor, and runner. Laura's writing expertise spans numerous topics, ranging from travel and food and drink to reported pieces covering political and human rights issues. She has previously worked at Architectural Digest, Bloomberg News, and The four-time gold medalist was in his gated community in England when he had to spring into action How Often Should You Run TripSavvy. Like many of us, Laura was bitten by the running bug later in life, after years of claiming to "hate running." Her favorite marathon is Big Sur.
