Ahmed provides a spark

Said Ahmed

Said Ahmed went out for a run in his old neighborhood last night. The blue turf of the Reggie Lewis Center track was as familiar as an old shoe: Ahmed ruled this oval in high school, as he ruled Massachusetts track. He ran for Boston English, setting Massachusetts and New England records for the 1,000 meters indoors and winning the national high school title in the 800 as a sophomore.

But when Ahmed was a kid, he ran alone. No one else was fast enough. This time, the 25-year-old from Roxbury was running toe to toe in the 800 meters at the Boston Indoor Games with some of the best runners in the world.

Ahmed, running for the first time as a professional, stuck with the leaders, hanging on their shoulders as Khadevis Robinson and Nick Symmonds threw everything into the last lap, straining to pull away. Pouring himself into every stride, Ahmed stayed with the top two, unable to catch them, but refusing to let them go as the crowd screamed for the hometown hero. Robinson, the seven-time US champion in the 800, crossed the line first in 1 minute 50.92 seconds, followed by Symmonds, the 2007 US Championship runner-up (1:51.16), and Ahmed (1:51.57).

Robinson threw his winner's bouquet to the cheering crowd, but Ahmed trumped that and pulled off his singlet and threw that into the stands. His smile was broad, matched only by the smiles on the faces of his friends and family.

In the old days, the Lewis Center was home for Ahmed. He lives across the street, next to the police station, and he could see the track from his house. Born in Somalia, Ahmed and his family moved to Boston in 1995 and he has become a fierce advocate for the Hub.

"I knew I wanted to run strong," said Ahmed, a Red Sox cap perched on his head. "That's my people, I have to represent all of Boston, especially Boston public [schools]. I've got to represent. They don't have footsteps to show them how."

Ahmed showed his fans, including his cousins, Omar Aden and Ahmed Farah, who run for Charlestown, just what hard work and desire can do on the track. Ahmed pumped his arms and ran upright, never letting down, to stay in the thick of the pack, which moved out at a slow pace as none in the group of seven gave quarter.

"I went for it," said Ahmed, a seven-time All-American at Arkansas who is just finding his feet as a pro. "They had to work to win."

Robinson agreed.

"These guys are all professionals, they're all good," the 31-year-old said. "You can't overlook them. The guys were able to get in front, I always had to work. I was working my butt off."

The slow pace (the meet record is 1:47.92) kept the group packed, but slow didn't mean easy.

"It's like if you go to a pond and you see a duck swimming," Robinson said. "He seems to be swimming along nice and smooth but under the water, he's paddling hard.

"We ran their [Ahmed and Symmonds] race, a slow pace. But I need that, the bigger races are like that."

Ahmed ran the 800 here as part of his preparation for his primary event - the 1,500, a distance at which he was ranked No. 6 in the United States for 2007. He was a finalist in the 2004 Olympic Trials in the 1,500.

"I'll be back here for the USA Championships [Feb. 23-24]," said Ahmed, "and then I will run my event for them."

Source: Boston Globe, Jan 27, 2008