Ever dream you could race a four-time Olympic gold medalist and win? Champion distance runner Mo Farah bets you can! He’s giving kids the chance to beat him to the finish line of the London Marathon. Marathon Kids across the world will have a chance to “Beat Mo to the Finish Line” this spring.
RUN #ONEMOMILE!
World-class London-based runner Mo Farah is a celebrated Nike athlete and Marathon Kids Global Ambassador. Kids have the opportunity to “race” Mo and run another full marathon before Mo competes in the London Marathon on April 22. The will kids get a generous head start – the eight weeks leading up to the marathon – to complete all 26.2 miles.
Since 2015, nearly 2,500 running clubs and more than 430,000 kids have enrolled in the Marathon Kids program, which is available in all 50 states. A growing number of families are participating in the Marathon Kids At Home program, which allows parents to run with their kids in the same evidence-based program available to schools and community-based organizations.
Are you ready to take on Mo? Click here for more info on how to get your school or family involved.
WHO IS MO FARAH?
Sir Mohamed Muktar Jama “Mo” Farah, CBE is Britain’s most successful-ever distance runner. Born in Mogadishu, Somalia, Mo is a gold medalist in both the 5,000 meter and 10,000 meter races in 2012 and 2016. Mo is the most decorated athlete in British athletics history, with ten global titles, and was the first British athlete to win two gold medals at the same world championships. With five gold medals at the European Athletics Championships, Mo is the most successful athlete in individual events in the championships’ history.
His family had to flee Mogadishu since they were targeted due to their origin from Somaliland, which had declared independence from Somalia. After fleeing Mogadishu to Gabiley, Somaliland with his family, Mo spent his early childhood as a refugee in Djibouti with his twin brother. He moved to Britain when he was eight to join his father, speaking very little English at the time.
Now, he’s widely celebrated in Britain and around the world and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his athletic endeavors in 2017.
Need some extra motivation from Mo himself? Click here for a quick video from Mo as he encourages your kids to keep moving. #OneMoMile
ABOUT MARATHON KIDS
Marathon Kids is on a mission to get kids moving. The nonprofit organization offers free physical education programming through Marathon Kids Connect, a cloud-based PE and run club management platform that includes a mobile app for digital activity-tracking.