Farah and fellow British marathon champion Lily Partridge will be joined by world beaters for the 10k showdown in Manchester.
Mo Farah, Abel Kirui, Tirunesh Dibaba and Lily Partridge all aim to blow off the cobwebs from the London Marathon at the Great Manchester Run on Sunday (May 20).
Fast racing on the streets of Manchester is guaranteed with women’s world record holder over the 10k and half marathon distances Joyciline Jepkosgei set to run in the UK for the first time.
Farah, who broke the British marathon record when he clocked a superb 2:06:21 last month, returns to a race he first ran 10 years ago as a young 24-year-old.
Following the withdrawals of Stanley Biwott and Feyisa Lilesa, the multiple track gold medalist’s main threat will come from Abel Kirui, fourth place at the London Marathon, and Moses Kipsiro, fresh from victory in the Great Birmingham 10K a fortnight ago.
Joining them on the start line are a host of 30-minute or quicker men, including Liverpool Harriers’ Dejene Gezimu, Brighton’s Finn McNally, Salford Harriers duo Carl Hardman and Marc Brown, as well as Exmouth’s Tom Merson and Morpeth’s Carl Avery.
Four-time winner Dibaba, the women’s 5000m world record holder, will face 10k world record holder Joyciline Jepkosgei at the very front of the women’s race, with British marathon champion Partridge and 2014 European cross country champion Steel battling it out for UK honours.
Triple Olympic champion Dibaba, is the reigning champion in Manchester, although Jepkosgei, the only woman to run a 10K under 30 minutes, will start as slight favourite.
The 24 year-old broke the existing 10K road record on her way to a half marathon world record at the Prague Half Marathon last year, and in September she improved on that when she clocked a 29.43 at the Prague Grand Prix.
Diane Nukuri finished third to Dibaba in 2016’s Great Manchester Run clocking 31.49 and also starts, as does Betsy Saina, who won in Manchester in 2015.
Partridge had a breakthrough in London running under 2:30 for the first time and now looks ahead to the marathon at the European Championships.
Before August, the Aldershot athlete aims to race over the shorter distances, starting in Manchester and then the Vitality London 10000 at end of this month.
It will an exciting contest between Partridge and Steel, the latter fresh from a 16:07 run at the Ipswich 5k.
Elsewhere, leading British entrants also include Shaftsbury Barnet’s Rachel Felton, Kendal Harriers’ Rebecca Robinson, Sale Harriers’ Jenna Hill and Laura Hesketh of Clayton Le Moors.
The race will be broadcast live on BBC Two on Sunday (May 20) from 12 noon.