Mahamed could be faster than Mo, says former coach

Haynes recalled how he was initially put into the sprinters' group but coaches saw his potential as an endurance athlete.

He said he had the right attitude from the start: "He came to training with me twice a week, he entered all the competitions and gradually worked his way through from Hampshire competitions all the way through to British, European and World cross country.

"He's just worked very hard and it's been a long road, but I'm just so, so proud of him."

At 28, Haynes said Mahamed has a bright future, with marathon runners tending to peak between the ages of 29-31.

"I think he can get a little bit faster.

"At the moment he's the second fastest Brit ever over the marathon distance and the only person in front of him is Mo Farah....so I think it's doable over the next two to three years."

Sunday's London Marathon saw two runners achieve a sub-two-hour marathon for the first time in a competitive race.

Thirty-one-year-old Kenyan Sabastian Sawe crossed the line in one hour 59 minutes 30 seconds to set a new world record.

Ethiopian Yomif Kejelcha became the second man to run under two hours in race conditions, finishing runner-up in 1:59:41.

Haynes said it was brilliant for Mahamed to be there on such an historic day.

The coach compared it to when Sir Roger Bannister broke the four-minute-mile in 1954.

"Mahamed can say 'I was there that day - I ran that day'," he added.

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• Sawe smashes two-hour mark to 'move goalposts for marathon running'
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Related internet links

• Glenfield School
• London Marathon