Record holders lead 12-member Canadian squad into 1st world road running championships

Kieran Lumb isn't looking too far ahead before the final race of his impressive rookie season as a professional runner.

He spoke this week of wanting to "compete well" in the elite men's mile at the first World Athletics Road Running Championships on Sunday and is prioritizing placing over time. Lumb also didn't mention the possibility of qualifying for the Paris Olympics next summer.

"You never know how these mile [races] will play out," said the 2023 Canadian men's track champion in the outdoor 1,500 metres. "I'll use the opportunity to test myself and end [the season] hopefully on a high note."

Andy Powell was more direct when talking about his athlete and believes Lumb — the national record holder in the outdoor 3,000, pending ratification — will perform well on the streets of Riga, Latvia as part of a 12-member Canadian contingent.

"I like his chances," the University of Washington coach said over the phone from Seattle. "He's still coming on late in the [season] and with his strength, how wide the roads are [in Riga] and how the course is set up, I think people are going to have a hard time pulling away from him."

The 6:10 a.m. ET race will be live streamed on CBCSports.ca, the CBC Sports app and CBC Gem. Live coverage of the event begins at 4:20 a.m.

The 25-year-old Lumb, who turned pro in April and signed with Swiss running brand On, has been difficult to bet against this year. He set three personal bests during his final indoor season with the Huskies, including a 3:52.62 clocking over 1,609 metres in the mile, and three more outdoors — mile, 1,500 and 3,000.

According to World Athletics, athletes can achieve the automatic entry standard for the Paris Olympics in the 1,500 in the equivalent road running distance. To qualify, Lumb would need to run 3:50.40 on Sunday after going 3.53.83 outdoors on the track at a January meet hosted by UW.

"If he's healthy, he's got a great shot," Powell said when asked if Lumb would be part of Team Canada in Paris. "That's a realistic goal and expectation."

Lumb, who graduated in March, was among eight Husky men to run under four minutes in the mile at the January meet. They repeated the feat indoors on Feb. 26 in Boston, with the Canadian leading the way in 3:52.62.

"That was a shock to me," Powell said, adding he viewed Lumb as a cross-country or 10,000m track runner when the latter arrived at Washington with "good upside" in 2021.

"He can run well over 100 miles a week but [last Sunday] he ran 51 [seconds] no problem [to close a 1,500] so he's got some speed and endurance," noted Powell, who believes Lumb's best event is the 5,000. "He will run fast in the 5K at some point and break 13 minutes."

Powell also envisions the Vancouver native breaking the Canadian mile mark of 3:50.26 held by Kevin Sullivan since July 28, 2000.

Lumb, who built a strong aerobic base several years ago as a nationally ranked junior cross-country skier, didn't begin running on trails and the track until his late teens. At the University of British Columbia, he stood out in the 3,000, 5,000 and cross-country.