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Farah to compete in Great North Run

ESPN staff
July 30, 2013
Mo Farah is targeting to run a full marathon in 2014 © PA Photos
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Mo Farah has confirmed he will race in the Great North run on September 15, where he will go head-to-head with Haile Gebrselassie and Kenenisa Bekele.

Double Olympic champion Farah will take on the Etiopian duo in the half-marathon between Newcastle and South Shields.

Farah recently returned to London's Olympic Stadium for the Anniversary Games, where he comprehensively beat his rivals to take victory in the men's 3000 metres. The Brit then challenged six-time Olympic champion Usain Bolt to a charity race, which the Jamaican accepted.

However, as he prepares for August's World Championships in Moscow, Farah stated he would participate in the North East and is looking forward to taking on Bekele and Gebrselassie.

"I competed in the mile and two mile events on Great North Run weekend in past years and am delighted to finally make my debut in the main event," Farah said.

"It is always one of the world's top half-marathon races and this year promises to be a great race with me against Haile Gebrselassie and Kenenisa Bekele."

Farah has long targeted a move up in distance and ran half of the London Marathon in April, before stating he hoped to run the full version in 2014. The 30-year-old set a new British record for the half-marathon in February.

Gebrselassie has won two Olympic golds in the 10,000m and set a marathon world record in Berlin in 2008. Bekele is a triple Olympic champion and currently holds the world and Olympic record in both the 5,000 and 10,000m.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd
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