MO FARAH added a new celebration to his repertoire as he paid tribute to Alan Shearer while creating North-East sporting history by becoming the first person to win three successive Great North Runs.

Farah completed a hat-trick of triumphs as he cruised to victory in a time of 1:00.04, eight seconds clear of the American runner-up Dathan Ritzenhein.

The double Olympic champion, who won gold in the 5,000m and 10,000m at both the London and Rio Games, sat on Ritzenhein’s shoulder as his former training partner attempted to kick clear in the first half of the race.

He was unable to shake off Farah’s attentions though, and Britain’s most successful distance runner kicked clear as he headed down Redwell Bank before turning onto the sea front at South Shields.

The final 100m was something of a procession, and while Farah produced his traditional ‘Mobot’ celebration as he crossed the finishing line, he also mimicked Shearer’s raised-arm salute while pretending to kick a football into the crowd.

“The celebration was for Alan Shearer, I think he’s a legend,” said Farah, who finished second behind Kenenisa Bekele in 2013, before triumphing in the world’s most popular half-marathon in each of the last three years. “A lot of people came out to show their support, so I thought why not give something back to the crowd?

“Even though I’m a massive Arsenal fan, I thought, ‘You know what, there’s a lot of Geordies here who love Shearer, and he’s one of the greatest players ever - let’s do the Shearer celebration’.

“It was a brilliant moment, amazing. Dathan made it so hard for me – he made it a great race, and Emmanuel (Bett, who finished third) as well. I just had to hang on for my dear life. It was tough, but it was amazing to have so many people cheering for me. That’s what drove me to the line.”

Today’s win was the most comfortable of Farah’s three successes, although there was a moment when he worried if Ritzenhein was getting the better of him.

Some local knowledge proved crucial, though, as he powered clear on the quickest section of the course to establish an unassailable lead.

The Northern Echo:

“With three miles to go, I was thinking, ‘Will I have to let him (Ritzenhein) go?’ But then I was saying, ‘Hang in there, hang in there’,” said Farah, whose wife, Tania, also completed yesterday’s race. “I managed to hold on, and it was the downhill section that was crucial.

“I remember when I raced against Bekele and (Haile) Gebrselassie, Bekele went so hard on that downhill part. He opened up a gap, and I wasn’t able to close it. I decided to do that to Dathan, so I just went as hard as I could. I wanted to make a little gap, and then try to hold it.

“Knowing the course inside out helped a lot. I knew which bits were going to be tough, and which I was going to work hard on. It helped me out massively.”

Farah completed his greatest triumph last month when he became only the second runner in history to complete the ‘double double’ of back-to-back Olympic successes in both the 5,000m and 10,000m.

He could have ended his season in the immediate aftermath of Rio, but was always determined to put on a show for the British fans who lined the streets of the 13.1-mile course between Newcastle and South Shields.

“The crowd were amazing today, and that’s what drives me,” he said. “As an athlete, this is what it’s all about, and this is what you train for. I just love the home crowd, and I wanted to come out one last time, having competed in Rio and done what I did away from home.

“It was great to come out here and compete on home soil. The crowd were incredible, and that’s what keeps me going. I’ll never forget London 2012, with 75,000 people cheering for you and the nation getting behind you. It’s never going to happen in my life again, so that’s what drives me every day.”

Farah is already hoping to challenge for a fourth successive Great North Run crown in 12 months’ time, although his main priority next season will be the defence of his World titles at the World Championships in London.

Beyond that, he will increasingly turn his attention to the roads, and Ritzenhein expects him to be challenging for an Olympic marathon gold on the streets of Tokyo in four years’ time.

“He’s the best distance runner in the world, especially in the last five years or so,” said the American. “He’s right there with Bekele and Gebreselassie as one of the best of all time.

“He downplays it, but he’s going to be good in the marathon. You can’t run 59.20 in a half-marathon and not be good in the marathon. He shows up in the Championships races, and I have no doubt in mind that in 2020, he will be contending in the marathon. I would be surprised if he didn’t.”