Page 46 - summer17

WHAT
ABDI
EATS
lthough Abdirahman
hails from Somalia, his
Atastes in food are “pretty
Americanized,” says Coach
Murray. “He doesn’t adhere to a
very strict diet.”
That means cheeseburgers,
french fries and the occasional
beer.
But while the runner hardly
lives a monastic existence,
things do tighten up when he
gets closer to a race. “If he’s
running a half-marathon or a
marathon, early the week before
he’ll have a high-protein diet,”
says Murray. “And then the last
three or four days before the
actual competition he’ll go off
the protein and onto very high
carbohydrates. And he’ll stay
away from junk foods and sodas
and things of that nature.”
44 ARIZONA ALUMNI MAGAZINE
‘A lot of schools didn’t think I was good enough
for a scholarship. But Coach Murray took a risk
with me, and it paid off.’
lifetime. “A lot of schools didn’t think I was good time you can’t run too slow. You just have to
Abdirahman knew it was the chance of a
figure it out.”
In other words, if you don’t run smart, you
enough for a scholarship,” he says. “But Coach
Murray took a risk with me, and it paid off.” run into a wall. Abdirahman knows exactly how
That’s an understatement. While at the UA, that feels. In his first marathon, in New York
Abdirahman won his first two big races, the Aztec City in 2004, he admits that he didn’t know how
and Jammin’ invitationals, and he placed second to make the transition from track running to
in the NCAA Cross Country Championships. He the longer distance. “I thought the people I was
was named All American by the U.S. Collegiate pacing with were running too slow, so I just
Athletic Association. In 1998 alone, he won the picked it up. By the time I got halfway, I was dead.
5,000- and 10,000-meter races in the Pac-10 I didn’t have anything left. I finished but I was
Collegiate Championships and was named Cross barely running.”
Country Athlete of the Year. These days, Abdirahman runs up to 130 miles
“He’s undoubtedly the best male distance a week, training in Tucson during the winter
runner we’ve ever had at the UA — and we’ve had and Flagstaff in the summer. Dave Murray, now HERITAGE
many of them,” Murray says. retired from the UA, remains his coach. “I’ve been
That was just the beginning of a long and working with Abdi so long that he’s really part of
BENCHES
remarkable career — one that has included four our family,” Murray says.
trips to the Olympics and an equal number of USA James Li, a UA track coach who works
Track and Field championships. informally with Abdirahman, describes the
At age 40, when many runners have already runner’s determination and technical skill as key
hung up their shoes, Abdirahman remains among to his enduring career. “He really is the exception,
the world’s leading long-distance runners. “Age is remaining one of top runners in the country,” Li
just a number for me,” he told competitor.com. “I says. “Not only that, but he’s been at the top since
don’t look at my age as a disadvantage. I look at it the early 2000s. It says so much about his talent
as an advantage, because I have experience and I but also his education as a runner. It takes focus
have been here before.” and education to maintain at that level. Talent
That sophistication shows in races like the alone won’t do it.”
Boston Marathon, where he recently placed sixth. For Abdirahman, it’s mostly about following
A race like Boston can be a strategic masterpiece his heart. “I just love running,” he says. “It’s a
— or 26.2 miles of misery. “A marathon is sort passion. I think if I didn’t love running I would
of half-sprinting,” Abdirahman says. “You want not have lasted as long as I’ve lasted. I don’t have
to run fast, but at the same time you want to to work at a job. I just work at something that I
know your limit — what you’re capable of. In a love to do.”
marathon, you can’t run too fast, and at the same