Mo Farah, his VERY ambitious wife and the dash for cash that risks tarnishing an Olympic hero Double Olympic gold medallist will run just half of the London Marathon

Family man: Mo Farah with his wife Tania and step-daughter Rihanna at London 2012

All of which might seem like something of a kick in the teeth to the 35,000-plus other participants struggling past the finish line on April 21.

But, then, double-Olympic champion Mo, who will be running a competitive marathon for the first time, is such a draw that the race organisers are prepared to bend over backwards — and bend the rules — in order for him to take part.

Indeed, they have promised him — and the American moneymen who have just taken over the reins of ‘Brand Mo’ — a further £500,000 when he runs the full distance of the marathon in 2014, pushing his post-Olympic earnings to £3.75 million.

Such dizzying sums are the tip of the iceberg. Two weeks ago, Team GB hero Mo and his ambitious wife Tania — who helps oversee his career — quietly agreed a deal with Connecticut-based global sports management firm Octagon that, it is hoped, will propel him into the big league.

‘Mo is just as much a brand as Virgin,’ Octagon’s UK vice-president Clifford Bloxham told me this week. ‘And we have to build that brand.

‘When it comes to the big deals in British sport, Mo can be doing those deals. He is going to be able to compete with Lewis Hamilton, Andy Murray and top footballers. He deserves to get his share of those opportunities.’

National hero: Mo Farah became the first British athlete to win both the 5,000m and 10,000m Olympic gold

Happy family: Mo with his pregnant wife and step-daughter at the Olympic Stadium

Already, big money sponsorships with the likes of French fashion house Louis Vuitton and South Korean car maker Hyundai are being discussed.

Conservative estimates forecast that Mo, who was brought up in poverty in war-torn Somalia before moving to Britain at the age of eight, could make up to £10 million over the next two years.

Suddenly, Farah, who won the nation’s hearts with his stunning gold medal achievements in the 5,000 and 10,000 metres at London 2012 and his trademark ‘Mobot’ celebration, is realising his full commercial worth.

Sadly, however, it seems even the ‘Mobot’, which involves arching the hands over the head to create a letter ‘M’ — and which was recreated with such innocent glee in the nation’s school playgrounds in the wake of his victories — has a price.

The runner’s aides told me this week that his long-time manager Ricky Simms, who also looks after the career of Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt, has applied to trademark it.

Of course, while no one would begrudge the likeable 29-year-old his chance to reap the financial rewards of his hard work, there are concerns in athletics that by so assiduously chasing the riches on offer to him, he could be jeopardising his career as a runner. Indeed, his insistence he will complete only half of the London Marathon has led to bemusement among his peers. 

This week, Paula Radcliffe described the move as ‘a little bit strange’ and Steve Cram called it ‘difficult to comprehend’. I am told behind the scenes in the close-knit world of athletics that there is, among some, unbridled fury over the plan.