Two days before the New York City Half Marathon, Geoffrey Mutai talked about his strategy against Mo Farah, the Olympic double gold medalist from Britain who was returning to the race he won in 2011.

Mutai, who in November won the New York City Marathon for the second time, acknowledged Farah’s ability, but said he was more concerned with his own performance. “For me, it’s my own 13-mile race, and I focus on it from the beginning,” he said.

True to his word, Mutai ran with single-minded confidence as he sped to victory Sunday, winning in 1 hour 50 seconds. After a slow start through the hills of Central Park, Mutai pushed the pace a few miles into the race and never looked back.