Vancouver’s Kieran Lumb breaks Canadian 3,000m record in Italy

On Wednesday night in Rovereto, Italy, Vancouver’s own Kieran Lumb etched his name in Canadian track and field history, breaking the Canadian 3,000m record in 7:38.92. Lumb’s time is nearly two seconds faster than the previous record, which was held by one of the nation’s greatest distance runners, Moh Ahmed. This is Lumb’s first Canadian record.

Lumb finished third in the 3,000m race behind his former university teammate and training partner Brian Fay of Ireland and North American 5,000m record holder Grant Fisher, who won in a meet record of 7:33.32.

“I think I have been in Canadian record shape all season,” says Lumb. “The weather was perfect last night, and I was keen to push. The results didn’t come on the screen immediately, so I didn’t know I had the record until 15 minutes after.”

Lumb’s positive outlook and determination were evident as he spoke about his decision to continue racing in Europe after the world championships. “With the late-season racing, there’s nothing to lose,” Lumb explained. “I think I have been in personal best shape all season, but in Budapest, I didn’t have a chance to show it.” The 25-year-old left his first world championships in Budapest slightly disappointed, finishing eighth in his preliminary 1,500m heat in 3:36.66 and just missing advancing to the semi-final. 

Kieran Lumb runs second-fastest Canadian indoor mile time

Reflecting on his time at the World Championships, Lumb said he gained a valuable perspective by watching races as a spectator. “You realize how simple the sport is,” he says. “I think it has given me a different approach to racing.” The perspective has seemed to work out for Lumb, who has now run personal bests in the 3K and 1,500m in his last two races.

The 3,000m record Lumb broke, 7:40.49, was set by Ahmed at Hanžeković Memorial in Zagreb, Croatia, in 2017. Lumb has always looked up to Ahmed. “He’s an incredible athlete,” he says. “He is extremely humble and is one of the most consistent performers in the sport.”

Although Lumb is beginning to break Ahmed’s distance records, he says he plans to stick with the men’s 1,500m instead of moving up to the 5,000m. “The 1,500m is short enough that you can race it often. With the 5,000m, it takes time to recover, and you can’t do too many of them in the season.”

The Vancouver native plans to continue his season this Sunday in another 3,000m race in Zagreb. “I want to leave it all on the table,” says Lumb. “It’s hard not to take these opportunities for granted, so it is important to seize the moment.”

Later in the month, he will represent Team Canada at the inaugural World Athletics Road Running Championships in Riga, Latvia, where he will race the men’s mile.