New York, February 26, 2014—Mo Farah of Great Britain, a double Olympic champion and three-time world champion, will headline the men’s field at the NYC Half on Sunday, March 16, it was announced today by New York Road Runners president and CEO Mary Wittenberg.

“We’re very excited to welcome Mo back to the NYC Half,” said Wittenberg. “This is a huge thrill for New Yorkers, who will get to see the world’s top distance runner on the streets of Manhattan before he makes his full marathon debut in London. Mo’s star quality and fan following are unmatched in our sport, and we are honored to have him highlight our professional field.”

Farah, 30, was a double gold medalist at the 2012 London Olympic Games (5000 and 10,000 meters) and also won both of those events at the 2013 IAAF World Championships in Moscow, thus becoming only the second man in history to simultaneously hold all four global distance titles. In addition to these most recent successes, Farah has won gold and silver at the 2011 IAAF World Championships (5000 and 10,000 meters, respectively) and four medals at the European Championships over the past decade—a gold in 2012 (5000 meters), two golds in 2010 (5000 and 10,000 meters), and a silver in 2006 (5000 meters). Farah’s half-marathon personal best (1:00:10) was set at the 2013 Bupa Great North Run in England, where he finished second to two-time Olympic champion Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia.

Farah will run the NYC Half prior to his full marathon debut at the Virgin Money London Marathon on April 13. Last year, Farah ran the first half of the London Marathon as part of his preparation for his full debut in 2014.

“I can confirm that I will run the NYC Half on March 16 as part of my buildup to the London Marathon in April,” said Farah. “It will be my second time to compete in this event, after my win there in 2011. I have been training hard in Kenya and hope to use the New York race to gauge my fitness one month out from my 26.2 mile debut.”

The NYC Half boasts an on-street experience like no other, taking runners on a 13.1-mile tour of Manhattan. The course takes runners through the rolling hills of Central Park, up to Harlem, down to the bright lights of Times Square, and along the Hudson River waterfront to a finish in lower Manhattan.

A new course configuration will accommodate an increase in the field size—up to 20,000 finishers—and allow for a professional wheelchair race for the first time. The event features a talented American and international professional athlete field, charity runners, and thousands of runners of all ranks, as well as 1,500 volunteers and thousands of spectators.

Locally, the NYC Half will be broadcast live in the New York City metropolitan area on WABC-TV from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. EDT. Viewers can also watch the race on 7online.com from 7:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. EDT, or via WatchABC on mobile devices from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. EDT. For those who have video subscriptions with affiliated providers, the race will also be available via WatchESPN from 7:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

For the latest NYC Half news, updates, features, and media information, please visit the NYRR online media room at media.nyrr.org or follow us on Twitter @nyrrnews.

About NYRR

Founded in 1958, New York Road Runners has grown from a local running club to the world’s premier community running organization, whose mission is to help and inspire people through running. NYRR’s commitment to New York City’s five boroughs features races, community events, youth initiatives, school programs, and training resources that provide hundreds of thousands of people each year, from children to seniors, with the motivation, know-how, and opportunity to run for life. NYRR’s premier event, the TCS New York City Marathon, features 50,000 participants, from the world’s elite athletes to a wide range of recreational and charity runners, and is part of the World Marathon Majors, an alliance of the world’s six biggest marathons that determines each year’s top male and top female marathoner. To learn more, visit www.nyrr.org.