Whenever Mo Farah speaks, the world listens. And when the best runner on planet Earth competes, all eyes are cast in his direction. 

 

The world’s attention will be in Lisbon, Portugal this Sunday as Farah trades his spikes for racing flats as he takes on a deep field of East Africans in the Lisbon Half Marathon. Farah is “in good shape,” as he told IAAF.org, which should not be taken lightly. The 31-year-old “tested” his fitness last month in Birmingham by demolishing the indoor two-mile world record in 8:03.40, and another month of strength work will only make him tougher to beat in Lisbon. 

Mo Farah's 8:03.40 Two-mile World record: 

A who’s who of Kenyan and Ethiopian talent aren’t ready to bow down without a fight, however. 

Although the double Olympic gold medalist is certainly the most accomplished name in Sunday’s field, his half marathon PB of 60:00 puts him at eighth best in the highly competitive race. Seven men that have cracked the one-hour barrier will take to the Portuguese streets this weekend, and each of them have legitimate shots to break the tape first. As everyone in the sport knows, however, when Farah is in the mix, race plans and strategies are often thrown out the window as the competitors wait to see what Farah will do. The man demands respect when he steps on the line, and so often seemingly qualified athletes fold in his presence. Will that be the story once again on Sunday?

 

Some may wither in Mo-Bot’s wake, but there’s too much talent in this field for someone to not give Farah a decent race. 

 

2014 Lisbon second place finisher Silas Kipruto returns to the Portuguese capital looking to take the next step up on the podium. The Kenyan ran 60:17 here a year ago, and owns a 59:39 lifetime best in the 13.1 mile distance. The 26-year-old will look to rebound after a disappointing 2:15.37 seventh place finish in the Mumbai Marathon in January. 

 

24-year-old Ethiopian Guye Adola won the bronze medal at last year’s World Half Marathon Championships in 59:21, and lowered his PB near the rare sub-59 barrier by clicking off a 59:06 to win the New Delhi Half last November. Adola ran five half marathons in 2014, never running slower than 61:56. 

 

Two other names that could spoil Farah’s fun are Kenyans Micah Kogo and Stephen Kibet. Kogo was the 2008 Olympic bronze medalist in the 10,000m, and has run 59:07 over 13.1 miles. His latest effort was a disappointing 14th place finish in the New York City Marathon (2:18:36). Kibet is the lone man in the field to have run under 59 minutes, his 58:54 from 2012. Since then, Kibet has only run under one hour on two occasions. 

 

This field is certainly formidable, but Mo Farah wouldn’t be here if he didn’t think that he had a very good shot to win. If his 8:03.40 two mile didn’t prove that he is still the best distance runner alive, Sunday’s performance in Lisbon will do just that. Not even Andy Vernon could complain about this competition, and Farah should be even fitter one month after silencing his critics once again. Expect a lot of this on Sunday: