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Gareth Fullerton

Sir Mo Farah helping inspire Larne's footballers to next level

Athletics legend Sir Mo Farah has been helping inspire Larne's footballers ahead of the new season.

Sir Mo was in the County Antrim town last weekend when he won the Antrim Coast Half Marathon.

The four-time Olympic gold medallist then popped over to Inver Park to do a quick Q&A session with Tiernan Lynch and his players.

And it turned into an informative get-together, according to forward Marty Donnelly.

"It was brilliant having Mo Farah come down and speak to the lads," Donnelly said.

"He was only supposed to spend 20 minutes with us, but the session lasted over an hour.

"It was surreal having this sporting legend sitting there answering our questions and offering some advice.

"This guy is up there with Usain Bolt and people like that. What he has achieved is phenomenal."

Sir Mo Farah at Inver Park last Saturday (Bill Guiller)

Some of the questions posed to Sir Mo revolved round training and nutrition, and how he prepared for big races.

He was also asked which was better - being knighted or winning Olympic gold?

"He went into great detail about his life and career, how he trained to get the best out of himself," Donnelly added.

"Things like sleep and recovery were also a big part of his story.

"He mentioned how he once finished sixth in a race, and he then looked at ways of improving himself by just one per cent when it came to training, nutrition, recovery.

"He set out some small short-term goals each time so he was always improving."

Sir Mo Farah was competing in Larne last weekend (Bill Guiller)

Leading up to the 2012 Olympics in London, Farah lived high in Kenya's Rift Valley, a Spartan existence where he learned a new way of life - and running - off the locals.

"He talked about how the Kenyan athletes were dominating distance running, so he went away to live and train with them," Donnelly said.

"It was a whole new way of life for him, but it made him into the champion he is.

"He had to sacrifice so much to reach the levels he did, and it was inspiring to hear his story.

"The boys were absolutely buzzing to have Mo come in and speak to them. He also spoke about believing in yourself.

"I think the lads were able to take something away from the conversation to try and improve their own game."

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