Canada’s Kieran Lumb to make half-marathon debut at B.A.A. Half

After a busy summer on the track that saw him win his second consecutive national title in the 1,500m and make his Olympic debut for Team Canada in Paris, Vancouver’s Kieran Lumb is not ready to call it a season just yet. The 26-year-old is set to step up in distance, making his half-marathon debut at the B.A.A. Half on Sunday, Nov. 10 in Boston.

The half marathon is 14 times longer than Lumb’s usual 1,500m event, but he’s embracing the challenge. “My coach and I wanted to try something different this fall and emphasize strength,” Lumb told Canadian Running. “It’s been refreshing to mix things up.”

Lumb has been training at altitude in Park City, Utah, for the past few weeks—something he hasn’t been able to do since turning professional in 2023.

In the past two years, Lumb has represented Team Canada in the men’s 1,500m at the 2024 Olympic Games and the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, though he did not advance past the heats at either event. Earlier this year, he reached the men’s 1,500m final at the 2024 World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, finishing 13th.

He has had success on the roads so far in his career, placing fifth in the men’s road mile at the inaugural World Road Running Championships in Riga, Latvia last October.

Lumb says he’s excited to compete against Flanagan and Fafard, two athletes he rarely faces. Flanagan, a former Canadian half-marathon record holder, briefly held the accolade in 2022 after running 61 minutes at the Valencia Half Marathon. Flanagan’s record was surpassed by Cam Levins at the Vancouver First Half in February 2023, with Levins’ time of 60:18 still standing as the top Canadian mark.

The scenic Boston Half course winds through the city’s Emerald Necklace Park System, passing landmarks such as the Arnold Arboretum, Jamaica Pond and Franklin Park Zoo. The finish line is in Franklin Park, just south of the city.

posted Wednesday October 23rd
by Marley Dickinson