Farah had 'no doubts' about running marathon

Farah had 'no doubts' about running marathon

British Olympic star Mo Farah claimed on Thursday that he never considered pulling out of the London Marathon despite the fatal bomb attacks in the US city of Boston.

British Olympic double gold medallist Mo Farah poses for photographers in central London on April 18, 2013 during a photo call ahead of the London marathon.

Sunday's London Marathon will take place amid tightened security after the twin blasts at the Boston Marathon earlier this week left three people dead and over 180 injured.

Farah, who is based in Oregon in the United States, says it is important the race goes ahead to show solidarity with those caught up in the Boston tragedy.

"I heard about it when I got home (from training)," the 30-year-old said.

"I turned the TV on after my father-in-law told me. It's sad news. You don't want to hear anything bad about anyone and people were out there enjoying themselves.

"My support goes out to all the people involved, their families and loved ones. But they would want us to carry on and show our support. Why would you let it stop you?"

Farah became one of the faces of the 2012 London Olympics after surging to victory in both the 5,000 metres and 10,000 metres.

He says his experience of the security arrangements put in place during the Games give him every confidence that Sunday's event will pass off without incident.

"London's a great city. It's where I grew up, where I've done everything, so I know better than anyone else," he said. "For me there was never a concern at all. I am here to do a job.

"I've got great memories of the London Olympics. What we did as a nation in terms of everything was incredible and I believe we can do a similar job to that.

"I can just go out there in a race and I don't need to worry about it, just about the race."

Sunday's race will be preceded by a period of silence in tribute to the Boston victims and runners have been encouraged to wear black ribbons. Farah sported one at his press conference on Thursday.

The Somali-born athlete had created a degree of controversy by announcing that he will only run half the race, as he prepares to compete over the full distance in 2014.

Former women's London Marathon winner Paula Radcliffe has queried the thinking behind the decision, but Farah said it was an important part of his learning curve.

"The whole point is to try and learn from it and my aim is to come out here, learn about the race, and get used to the course so next year I'm ready to go," he said.

"It's a no-brainer, really. If someone's giving you a practice run, why would you turn that down? There's a lot of criticism, but that's part of life. You can't keep everyone happy."

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