Mo Farah will be joining an already relatively stacked field of British runners heading to Northern Ireland on September 12th for the Antrim Coast Half Marathon, in Larne. Despite it being just 8 days after Farah’s one-hour record attempt in Brussels it is expected that he will still be targeting his own British half marathon record at the event, currently 59:32 set in Lisbon 2015.
Once voted as ‘One of the top 5 greatest drives on earth’ by Lonely Planet, the Antrim Coast is a well-known scenic attraction and race organisers have said that the redesigned half marathon course also promises to be one of the flattest and fastest in the UK & Ireland.
Originally due to be held on March 21st the race was re-scheduled for September 12th and also confirmed as an elite runner only event.
Five-time Olympian Jo Pavey and British Champion Lily Partridge will feature in the Women’s field alongside Gemma Steel and Aly Dixon, as well as two-time world champion Iraitz Garroand.
In the Men’s field Farah will be going toe to toe with recent British 5Km record breaker Marc Scott in his half marathon debut. British Champion Ben Connor, with a 61:11 PB, will also be hoping to stick close to the front and Northern Ireland’s Stephen Scullion and Kevin Seaward, both Tokyo bound, could well be in the mix.
The race is set to be streamed live on both Antrim Coast Half Marathon website and Facebook page. The weather forecast looks to be fair and with the stunning landscape and potential for some new records it seems like a definite race to tune in for.