Abdihamid "Abdi" Nur (born October 14, 1998) is a Somali-born American long-distance runner. He competed collegiately for Northern Arizona University from 2019 to 2022, where he won multiple national titles in the NCAA and set a collegiate record in the outdoor 5000 m. After graduating, Nur signed with Nike and has since won 2 national titles and represented the US at the 2022 and 2023 World Championships, and the 2024 Olympic Games.

Early life Nur was born on October 14, 1998, in Mogadishu, Somalia. He is the second youngest of eight children. He has three older brothers, three older sisters, and a younger sister. His family moved away from Somalia when he was very young due to the country's political instability. He remembers little of his time there since he was still an infant. His mother wanted a safer life for them, so she made the decision for them to leave Somalia.

They stayed in Kenya, where their mother owned a shop, for three short years prior to settling in Cairo, Egypt for five years. Nur was only 4 when they arrived in Egypt. Then, they immigrated to the United States in 2006 where they first lived in New Mexico for a brief period of time. However, they relocated to Apple Valley, Minnesota, where they had extended family members near the area. Their mother was the primary provider for the family. She worked odd jobs as a janitor and babysitter to financially support them. They would relocate once again to Phoenix, Arizona, while Nur was about to enter high school in 2013. Their mother grew tired of the cold climate in Minnesota.

2013–2017: Relocation to Arizona Initially, Nur played soccer as an underclassman at North High School before he ever started running. He shared that "sports brought [him] closer to people and helped [him] make friends". He even credited sports with helping him transition smoothly to life in the United States, as they allowed him to acclimate to a new culture. However, it was a nearly fatal car accident during his second year that ultimately led Nur to pursue running. A driver in another vehicle struck the car in which Nur was riding as a backseat passenger. As a result, he tore ligaments in his knee and required surgery to repair a fractured collarbone. He was temporarily bedridden, missed the entire soccer season, and was unable to attend school for three months. He later recalled that the experience deeply affected him, describing it as a “really bad time” in his life.

Eager to return to soccer in his junior year, he went through rehab just so that he could quickly get back to the field in good shape. During his rehabilitation, he needed to improve his endurance and conditioning. His coach advised him to give cross country a try. Immediately, Nur showed great potential by coming in third place at his first meet in Flagstaff, Arizona. His coach saw this and recommended that Nur forget soccer and seriously consider switching to running. Nur thought the idea sounded crazy because "soccer was something [he] grew up loving" and an integral part of his identity. His whole family played soccer, including all of his brothers, which is why he struggled to envision quitting the sport.

Soon though, Nur actually took a liking to running and it became something that he did out of genuine interest. Later, he won the Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) Cross Country Division I State Championships in his senior year of high school which opened up many opportunities with colleges for him.

Nur is a 2016 Arizona Interscholastic Association Cross Country Division I State Champion, and 3-time Arizona Interscholastic Association Division I State finalist. Nur set personal best times of 5 km 15:30.0, 3200 m 9:27.02, & 1600 m 4:28.34.

He began to receive calls following his win at the AIA Cross Country Championships, putting him on Northern Arizona University's (NAU) radar. Despite failing to qualify academically for the university's cross country team right away, he had to implement changes to his studies to compete for the university at the collegiate level.

2017–2022: Collegiate career Coconino County Community College Nur enrolled at Coconino County Community College in Flagstaff in 2017. He fully devoted himself to his grades and training exclusively so that he could increase his chances of being accepted into NAU. Additionally, he had to adjust to the challenges of training without a coach or team, living on his own in a new city, and college courses. Since he remained in his home state, not far from Phoenix, he knew friends in town who he would train with off-campus. The cross country coach at NAU, Michael Smith, kept in contact with Nur and would check in along the way to see how Nur was progressing in his efforts to run for NAU.

Given Flagstaff’s small population and size, Nur inevitably encountered athletes from the Northern Arizona University (NAU) team during his long runs on trails and road loops. He watched them with astonishment as they passed him with apparent ease. Naturally, this led him to question himself and his abilities. He wondered whether he could become part of NAU to train with the squad or even make the team. It would be challenging enough just to earn a spot on the roster, let alone finish in the top seven. Despite his efforts to meet National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) standards, Nur was deemed a non-qualifier once again in the spring of 2018. Though disappointed by the delay in achieving his goals, he came to appreciate that the two years away from competition had taught him resilience, focus, and the determination to pursue his dreams more relentlessly than ever before.

Northern Arizona University It was not until the summer of 2019 that he finally raised up his grades and qualified for NAU. He reached out to Coach Mike Smith who started Nur out slowly because Smith was uncertain of what Nur could handle after a two-year break. By this point, Nur was more than ready and gravitated toward the top runners like his teammate Luis Grijalva who acted as his training partner and mentor. They pushed and motivated each other to do their best, becoming close friends as well in the process. Nur would run 80 to 90 miles a week and Grijalva would run 90 to 100 miles a week. Nur surprised himself during one particular workout where he found himself next to Grijalva's shoulder at the end of the session. He boosted confidence in himself and believed that he may be able to place in the top seven at competitions after all if he can keep up with Grijalva.

Competition record

International Competitions Representing 2022World ChampionshipsEugene, United States11th5000 m13:18.052023World ChampionshipsBudapest, Hungary12th5000 m13:23.902024Olympic GamesParis, France19th (heat)5000 m14:15.00

National Championships YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotesRepresenting Nike2021USA Olympic TrialsEugene, OregonDNF10000 mN/A2022USA Outdoor Track and Field ChampionshipsEugene, Oregon3rd5000 m13:08.63USA Road 5 km ChampionshipsNew York City, New York1st5 km13:242023USA Outdoor Track and Field ChampionshipsEugene, Oregon1st5000 m13:24.372024USA Olympic TrialsEugene, Oregon2nd5000 m13:09.01

NCAA and Big Sky Championships +Representing the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks Year Competition Position Event Time2019NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships33rd10,000 m31:14.02020Big Sky Indoor Track and Field Championships1st3000 m8:17.301st5000 m14:29.83NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships2020 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships start lists NCAAAll-American5000 m Cancelled by COVID-19Big Sky Cross Country Championships1st8000 m23:55.6NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships7th10,000 m30:05.32021Big Sky Outdoor Track and Field Championships5th1500 m3:48.201st5000 m14:09.20NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships3rd10,000 m27:42.73Big Sky Cross Country Championships4th8000 m23:21.6NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships7th10,000 m28:52.92022Big Sky Indoor Track and Field Championships1stMile4:03.981stDMR9:50.86NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships1st3000 m7:59.881st5000 m13:19.01Big Sky Outdoor Track and Field Championships1st1500 m3:43.554th5000 m14:10.90NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships3rd10,000 m28:14.51 Abdihamid Nur Northern Arizona University results Cross Country and Track TFRRS

Prep Year AIA Cross CountryDivision I State Championship AIA Outdoor Track and FieldDivision I State Championship2016–17 15:49.01st 3200 m9:27.024th1600 m4:32.868th2015–16 DNQ DNQ Abdihamid Nur Track & Field Bio North High School in Phoenix, Arizona Athletic.net

References

External links

Abdihamid Nur at Athletic.net Abdihamid Nur track and field profile at NAUathletics.com Abdihamid Nur cross country profile at NAUathletics.com Abdihamid Nur at Strava