NEW YORK – Bernard Lagat will run the longest race of his career when he competes in next month’s NYC Half.
The 38-year-old American started out as a 1,500-meter specialist and shifted to the 5,000 later in his career, winning world championships at both distances in 2007. Lagat narrowly missed a bronze medal in the 5,000 at last summer’s London Olympics.
He said Tuesday he would enter the 13.1-mile (21-km) half-marathon through Manhattan, which starts at 7:30 a.m. on March 17.
Lagat reclaimed the American indoor 2-mile record at the Millrose Games in New York on Saturday. He owns a record eight titles in the Wanamaker Mile at Millrose and has won the Fifth Avenue Mile on the streets of Manhattan.
While Lagat isn’t setting a goal of winning the half-marathon, he expects to be able to compete with runners with far more experience at this distance.
“Every time I commit to a race, I want to do the best possible job,” he said.