Sarah Lorge Butler caught up with Ahmed Muhumed shortly after he ran a 53-second personal best of 27:03.19 for 10,000m at The TEN, which puts him seventh on the U.S. all-time list. 

Ahmed was born in the Somali region of Ethiopia and moved to Oregon in 2011, when he was 13 years old. Though soccer was his first love, a PE teacher discovered his talent for running and encouraged him to go out for cross country and track. In addition to balancing his academics and athletics, Ahmed worked several jobs throughout high school, which was a tough balance at times.

He ran collegiately for Boise State and Florida State, and finished 20th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, but his accomplishments weren't quite enough for him to earn a contract right out of college. At first, he tried balancing work with post-collegiate running. But when he found himself nearly being chased down by a high schooler in a race, he knew something had to change.

He quit his job and moved to Flagstaff, Arizona, with his savings. He began working out with athletes who were faster than him, and it didn't take long for his hard work to pay off. In September, 2023, he signed a professional contract with HOKA NAZ Elite.

Ahmed Muhumed on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ahmedmuhumed14/

The 2016 Runner's World article about him, from when he was in high school: https://www.runnersworld.com/news/a20796173/a-rookie-pacer-causes-a-collision-but-sportsmanship-wins-the-day/

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