Moh Ahmed to make half-marathon debut at NYC Half

Canada’s most decorated distance runner, Moh Ahmed, is ready to step up in distance in the Big Apple. According to NYRR, the 34-year-old will make his long-awaited half-marathon debut at the NYC Half Marathon on Sunday, March 16.

Ahmed will face a coveted field loaded with North American and international talent, including newly-minted U.S. half-marathon record holder Conner Mantz and Ahmed’s former Bowerman TC teammate, Woody Kincaid.

The St. Catharine’s, Ont., native has had an illustrious career on the track, winning Olympic silver at Tokyo 2020 and setting Canadian records in the 5,000m and 10,000m events. However, he has not raced extensively on the roads. Aside from a few local road races and winning the Canadian men’s 10K title in 2023, Ahmed has yet to test himself over the 21.1 km or 42.2 km distances.

The three-time Canadian Olympian and 2020 silver medallist over 5,000m intended to run the Houston Half Marathon last year but tweaked his hamstring during his final tune-up workout. With the Paris Olympics later in the calendar, he decided to withdraw. In 2025, with the World Athletics Championships scheduled for late September, many track distance athletes, including Ahmed, have used the opportunity to race on the roads earlier in the season.

Ahmed has already met the entry standards for the men’s 5,000m and 10,000m for the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, which will be held at the same stadium where he won a silver medal for Canada nearly four years ago. He achieved the 10,000m standard at the Paris 2024 Games, where he finished fourth, in 26:43.79, missing the bronze medal by inches to his former Bowerman Track Club teammate, Grant Fisher.

Reflecting on his performance, Ahmed said it was one of the best races he’s ever run. “I think I executed that race really well. I just didn’t have anything left in the last 50.”

Two weeks after the Olympics, Ahmed clocked 12:54.90 at the Rome Diamond League, surpassing the men’s 5,000m standard of 13:01 by just over six seconds.

The NYC Half is known as one of the most competitive half-marathons in North America, but it is one of the more difficult courses. The winning men’s times from the last 10 years have all been over the 60-minute mark. The current men’s Canadian record for the half-marathon is 60 minutes and 18 seconds, which was set by Cam Levins at Vancouver’s First Half in February 2023.

The international field at the NYC Half will also feature another Canadian Olympian, Ben Flanagan of Kitchener, Ont. Flanagan has tons of racing experience on the roads, including national records in 5K and 10K road races. In January, Flanagan finished as the top Canadian at the Houston Half Marathon, finishing 22nd in 61:18.