Luke Littler has revealed that he is ready to take up running in order to beat Olympic legend Mo Farah in a specially-organised race. The teenager, who used to play football but has never been a runner, has been tipped for an unlikely clash with Farah over a half-marathon distance. On face value, it would be hard to bet against Farah, but the race would have an unusual twist to give Littler a chance.

After every mile, each runner would be required to stop and successfully complete a 501 leg of darts before moving on. The idea was floated on social media last month before British boxer Dave Allen went the extra mile, moving away from the hypothetical and doing some actual research.

He got in touch with Littler and Farah and, to his surprise, both sportsmen expressed a willingness to take on the unlikely challenge.

Littler was further quizzed on the prospect after beating Luke Humphries to claim top spot in the Premier League table in Aberdeen on Thursday night.

He confirmed that he would be up for the task, as long as he is given enough time to lose some weight beforehand, in order to raise money for charity.

“Yeah, I don’t think Mo Farah could take out 501, personally,” said Littler. “As soon as I’m done, nine-darter, I’m walking my next mile. Yeah, I think we should do it for charity. Let me lose a bit of timber and I’ll be good to go.”

Farah, meanwhile, is yet to comment on the prospect of facing Littler, with the debate only gaining real traction after his recent appearance in the jungle.

The running part of the race would be his bread and butter, but whether he is good enough at darts to avoid losing too much time remains to be seen.

Much would depend on Littler’s stated strategy of simply getting the darts done and walking the rest. That would see him complete the 13.1-mile distance in roughly six-and-a-half hours, if he really takes it easy.

Another thing to consider is that Littler would likely take longer than usual to complete his 501 legs when fatigue sets in towards the end of the race.

A peak Farah would run the half-marathon in around one hour, though he is now in his mid-forties and isn’t as dialled in as he was at the height of his career.

The great unknown would be Farah’s ability at the oche, which could make or break his hopes of victory when the unusual twist is taken into account.