EAMONN Martin feels Mo Farah will not have things his own way racing on the roads but is backing him to break the British record.

Farah - who has won four Olympic golds and six World titles on the track - is now stepping up to race marathons.

And Martin, Great Britain’s last winner of the London Marathon back in 1993, knows Farah will be capable of running fast times over a longer distance.

“Mo has been absolutely fantastic to watch on the track and I think the British Record will be within his grasp for the marathon too,” said the Laindon based Martin.

“Steve Jones’ record (2:07:13) is a fast time but Mo’s own times on the track and for the half-marathon suggest it’s within his capability.

“He’s definitely going to do well but I think it’s going to be interesting to see just how well he does.”

Farah won World Championship gold in the 10,000m in London earlier this month before taking silver in the 5,000m.

But Martin believes Farah will face even stiffer competition on the road.

“Mo’s record on the track is remarkable but his success came during a slight dearth in African running,” said Martin.

“I’m certainly not taking anything away from what Mo has achieved because it’s outstanding but there wasn’t a Bekele or a Gebrselassie for him to compete against.

“I think the Africans and the Ethiopians are turning to road running far earlier these days to get the pay days of a big city marathon so there will be plenty of tough competition for Mo.

“His track victories were all very close so it’s going to be interesting to see what happens.

“But he’s certainly not going to have any problems stepping up from the track.”

Martin was also an established track star before making the move up to the marathon, winning the 10,000m at the 1990 Commonwealth Games.

However, he is not sure how long 34-year-old Farah will spend racing on the roads.

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Superstar athlete - Mo Farah

“Mo has really put his body through it with the work he does,” said Martin.

“I think he’ll have four years doing marathons before he stops or maybe his body makes him stop.”

But Farah is not the only British marathon star seeking success.

Callum Hawkins finished fourth at the World Championships.

And Martin hopes the 25-year-old will be able to help the country’s other marathon runners improve.

“It’s great to see Callum showing such promise and it would be great if he could hold a two hour clinic to help our other marathon runners,” said Martin, who competed at three Olympic Games.

“We don’t have a lot of depth at the moment and we had people running in the World Championships whose times weren’t really good enough for them to be there if we’re being honest.”