![]() When they said to send them my passport so they could process my application for the trip, I sent them the only document I had: my green card. USATF makes sure you have everything in order so you can make the international trip-passport, visa, fingerprints, shots, a lot of stuff I had never given any thought to. Seville was less than two months away even as we crossed the finish line. When you make a national team, the USA Track & Field officials spring into action. ![]() In an instant I had achieved something I didn’t think possible-competing at a world-class competition as an American. But I hung close and managed to take third place in 28:28.26, six seconds behind Culpepper and four seconds behind runner-up Brad Hauser, one of the Stanford twins I had run against many times over the past two years. ![]() From the start, I and the rest of the field deferred to Alan Culpepper, the favorite. I felt strong and played it smart in my event. Representing the United States at the Worlds and the Olympics was the best opportunity for these guys to make their money. The top three in each event would qualify for the IAAF World Track and Field Championships, which would be held in Seville. Though my fitness was still good, I had no idea what to expect in terms of my performance or how a big meet like this would be conducted.Īmong those who would be competing-the very best professional distance runners in the country-I recognized plenty of names from the Pac-10 Conference. I was running the 10,000m there in my first post-collegiate race. On the heels of the NCAAs came the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. I was finishing my second year of classes at the University of Arizona and my final year of collegiate eligibility on the track. So much was happening to me so fast that year. I had plans to be there in August 1999, but I didn’t get to go-and I had only myself to blame. Enter Abdi’s World to join him on his insightful journey-and see what happens when you meet his stride. He has traveled the globe and shared his joie de vivre at every stop, showing a magician’s ability to balance work and play that anyone young or old, in or out of running, could learn from to live a more meaningful life. How the “Black Cactus,” as he is affectionately known, stumbled upon a career as one of the world’s most durable and beloved track and road racers of the 21st century is a story of resilience, commitment, and respect for friends and competitors alike-told here in a guide that is part life lessons, part training tips, part autobiography, and all Abdi. Abdi Abdirahman arrived in Tucson, Arizona, as a teenager when his family escaped civil war in their home country of Somalia. Genre: Nonfiction | Memoir | Sports Biographies | Running & JoggingĪbdi’s World is a quirky place where the only American distance athlete to qualify for five Olympics shares the stories that shaped his enduring love of running and his laid-back approach to life. Abdi’s World: The Black Cactus on Life, Running, and Fun by Abdi Abdirahman and Myles Schrag with a foreword by Mo Farah
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