It's fast, but how fast is Mo Farah's 5K time?
He’s a multiple Olympic, World and European champion in the 5,000 and 10,000m and a true national treasure. He’s won more World and Olympic titles (10) than any British male – and has even been knighted by the queen for his services to athletics. But what we all really want to know is: what is Sir Mo Farah’s 5K time?
How fast can Sir Mo Farah run 5K?
Farah’s 5,000m PB is a blisteringly quick 12:53:11 – a time he clocked at the Monaco Diamond League in 2011 where he set a British record. The closest he’s been to that time since was at the Diamond League in Eugune, USA the following year, where he ran 12:56.98.
At the London 2012 Olympics, he clocked a gold-medal winning time of 13:41.66, and in Rio in 2016, won the title again in an even quicker 13:03:30.
How fast does Mo Farah run per km?
On his PB run in 2011, Farah ran an average of 02:35 per km, while his gold-medal winning time of 13:03:30 in Rio saw him running at a not-too-shabby 2:42 per km.
How to run a fast 5K, according to Mo Farah
If there’s anyone to take advice from when it comes to getting quicker over 5K, it is, of course, the man himself.
When we asked Farah for his advice for amateur runners on improving their 5K time, he said: ‘I think the key thing for people to understand is what kind of pace they run and then being able to do that in training and competition. For me, the part I love is the competition. The training is the hardest part because, often, we come off 70, 80, 90, 100+ miles – week in, week out.’
The more you train, the easier it will be on race day, he told us. ‘Everything is about practising in training before the race.’
When we asked the 'double-double' Olympic champion what he thinks are the key ingredients for a fast 5K, he said: ‘You need to do speedwork, tempo runs and long runs – a combination of different sessions – and put all that stuff together,’ he says.
So what exactly do these sessions look like for Farah – and which are his go-tos? ‘I love 12-15x 400m, a combination of 5x 5K tempo runs or 15 minutes on, 5 minutes off and, for the long run, 17-18 miles.’
RW was talking to Sir Mo Farah at a press event unveiling's HUAWEI's new GT 3 fitness smartwatch. Sir Mo Farah is the ambassador for the new watch, which features GPS and heart rate tracking with up to two weeks claimed battery life. The watch (RRP from £209.99) is available to order now from the Huawei Store.
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