Abdihamid Nur

[1] 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.

[2][3] Initially, Nur played soccer as an underclassman at North High School before he ever started running.

[2] 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.

Immediately, Nur showed great potential by coming in third place at his first meet in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Nur thought the idea sounded crazy because "soccer was something [he] grew up loving" and an integral part of his identity.

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.

He began to receive calls following his win at the AIA Cross Country Championships, putting him on Northern Arizona University's (NAU) radar.

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.

[4] Given Flagstaff's small population and size, Nur inevitably encountered athletes from the NAU team on his long runs on trails or road loops.

As disappointed as he may have been, waiting to achieve his goals, he appreciated that the two years he had off taught him to maintain his focus and continue to chase his dreams harder than before.

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.