Sir Mo Farah will be involved as the London Marathon gets underway this Sunday – over a decade on from his memorable encounter with King Charles
King Charles III once showed his true colours by making a light-hearted comment about Sir Mo Farah’s incredible achievements. As Britain’s greatest-ever endurance runner, Farah has inevitably become the face of events such as the London Marathon.
Although the Team GB legend hung up his running spikes in September 2023, he will still play a role in the 2026 edition, which takes place this Sunday, April 26. Farah won’t be running the 26.2 miles himself this year, having completed his fourth and final full marathon in London back in April 2023, where he finished ninth.
On this occasion, the four-time Olympic gold medallist has been given an honorary role as a starter, setting 59,000 participants on their way from Blackheath to The Mall. The 43-year-old never managed to claim victory at the event but did finish third back in 2018.
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Instead, he excelled over slightly shorter distances, clinching gold in both the 10,000 metres and 5,000m at London 2012 and Rio 2016. Farah stepped away from track events in 2017 to concentrate on the marathon, though he did mount a brief comeback bid ahead of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
It was after securing his first Olympic double on home turf more than a decade ago that Farah was awarded a CBE. King Charles then seized the moment to make a joke about the British icon’s remarkable medal haul on the track.
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Sir Mo said after receiving the award: “I never in my life imagined coming to Buckingham Palace. I remember running past it in the mini-marathon as a kid when I was 13 and thinking it was so beautiful and taking pictures of the lion, so coming inside and receiving this award is great.”
Recalling the now-King’s joke, he added: “Prince Charles said, ‘You must be getting sick of so many medals,’ and to hear someone like the Prince of Wales knows who you are is just brilliant. I’m not tired of it at all, I just want to make my country proud and collect as many medals in my career as I can.”
Born in Somaliland, Farah was trafficked to London aged nine before going on to etch his name into British sporting history. King Charles has his own personal connection with the London Marathon too, having been closely associated with the event since its very beginnings.
The monarch was still a prince when he acted as starter for the race’s debut in 1981, giving the Marathon royal patronage from the very beginning. Since then, members of the Royal Family have either participated in or shown their support for the event. That remains the case to this day, though Charles himself has understandably distanced himself since inheriting the throne in 2022.
It’s worth noting that the race’s finishing line has long been located at Buckingham Palace. These days, Farah leads a more low-key life with his family, having relocated to Doha, Qatar, to escape the relentless scrutiny of the British public eye.
The Team GB legend has recently focused more attention on his Run with Mo YouTube series, featuring guests including Arsene Wenger, KSI and Jimmy Carr, among others. In early 2026, he participated in several ‘In Conversation’ events, looking back on his career and his children’s book series, Go Mo Go.
His running business, One Mo Mile Limited, remains active with significant assets in investment property. He continues to manage his professional commitments from his new home in Doha.
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