Mo Farah and Eilish McColgan on very different marathon missions

As one high-profile Brit approaches his final race over 26.2 miles and another prepares for her first, former world record-holder Paula Radcliffe urges both to make time to enjoy this year’s London experience

One athlete saying farewell to the marathon, another taking on the distance for the very first time. One athlete approaching the final strides of their career, another at the peak of their powers. Mo Farah and Eilish McColgan are coming at this weekend’s TCS London Marathon from very different angles.

Paula Radcliffe knows how both will be feeling. The former world record-holder, who recently celebrated the 20^th anniversary of that landmark run of 2:15:25, is very much aware of what it’s like not only to be the centre of attention for the vast crowds who line the streets of the city, but also to be standing on the start line of a debut marathon with questions to be answered.

Having won London in 2002, 2003 and 2005, she has also experienced the joy of being able to say goodbye to the British public along the world famous route, having bowed out from competitive racing at the event eight years ago.

Farah, while still aiming to be a competitive presence, has admitted this will be his last foray into running 26.2 miles, having run five marathons – a win in Chicago and third place in London (both in 2018) being his best results.

Retirement is looming for the highly decorated track athlete who has four Olympic titles to his name and a 10km tune-up in Gabon which saw him finish seventh did not suggest a renaissance is in the air. That performance comes on top of the now 40-year-old having to make a late withdrawal from last October’s London Marathon through injury, a surprise defeat to Ellis Cross in last year’s Vitality 10,000 and a failure to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

Radcliffe expects the six-time world champion, who is coached by her husband Gary Lough, to still be giving his all but is also hoping he allows himself to simply enjoy the occasion.

“Having to train hard and put a lot into racing – that’s never a sacrifice. The hard thing is doing the hours of physio and getting over the disappointment when you can’t do a race because your body wasn’t able to do it”

“What makes him so great is that attitude of ‘I always think I can do it’ so when your body starts to tell you ‘no mate, you can’t’, and you keep getting injured, that’s when suddenly you have to think ‘okay’,” says the 2005 world…