A MUM and son from Bolton were over the moon when they met up with Olympian Sir Mo Farah.

Caroline and Matthew Wilkinson – who are taking part in the Great Manchester Run Family Challenge – were given a boost to their training when they met Sir Mo in South-East London.

Caroline is taking on the 10k challenge and Matthew, aged 11, is taking part in the junior run. She said: “Meeting Mo Farah was a real honour. I’ve seen him so much on TV and cheered him on. He was very kind and really took the time to answer our questions. It was like meeting a friend.”

Matthew, who runs for Bolton Harriers, said: “It was such an amazing experience. I am still in shock that I’ve met Mo. Thank you very much for all the great tips. I can’t wait to go back to my running club next week.”

During the meeting, the four-time Great North Run winner answered the family's questions about training and motivation. He said: “It was nice to meet the families today, advising them in terms of training and other things.

“It’s really important to keep active as a family and I try to encourage my family to be active. Even my daughter, I try to encourage her to be active every day, or do some sort of exercise like swimming or other stuff. It just keeps your mind active.”

Sir Mo, the four-time Olympic and six-time World champion, will be competing at the Simplyhealth Great Manchester Run on May 20, and the 34-year-old was on hand to give the family some training advice ahead of their own challenge.

The Family Challenge was launched to set families the goal of improving their health and wellbeing in 2018 by training for and taking part in the Simplyhealth Great Manchester Run events.

Families across the region were asked to let organisers know why they wanted to take part in the challenge which offers training plans, expert led sessions and ongoing advice, to support them in their journey to the start line, whether they were taking on the 10K, half marathon or junior and mini distance.

The Simplyhealth Great Manchester Run welcomes people of all ages and abilities to a running celebration in the heart of the city centre. The course goes past Old Trafford, the Imperial War Museum and the Lowry before heading back to the spectator packed finish line in the shadow of Beetham Tower on Deansgate.