Vancouver’s Kieran Lumb to return to Canadian Cross Country Championships

A lot has changed for Vancouver’s Kieran Lumb since he last raced the Canadian cross-country championships six years ago on a muddy day in Kingston, Ont. Lumb has turned pro with On, broken the Canadian 3,000m record and finished top five in the world in the road mile. This Saturday, Lumb makes his much-anticipated return to the Canadian Cross Country Championships in Ottawa, where he will be one of the favourites to win the men’s 10K race.

“I am excited to be back at AC XC this year,” Lumb says. “Some of my teammates and friends with the Thunderbirds have been bugging me to run AC XC for a while. It just makes a lot of sense this season. Cross country is where a lot of runners get their start in the sport, myself included.”

Lumb’s roots in cross country run deep, having excelled during his collegiate years with the University of British Columbia and the University of Washington in the NCAA, winning a U Sports individual title in 2019 and NCAA West Regionals Cross with Washington in 2021. Reflecting on his decision to transfer to Washington, he says it was heightened by the competitiveness of the NCAA, particularly in cross country. “The NCAA was far more competitive than I realized, especially in cross country. If you don’t have a good day, hundreds of kids will take your spot.”

After three years at Washington, Lumb turned pro with the Swiss running brand On, joining fellow Canadian Ben Flanagan, who also represents the brand. Lumb says his decision to sign with On was an easy one. “The brand has been fantastic for me,” he says. “They’ve made my transition to pro very easy. It’s been smooth, and they care for me outside of running.”

Lumb’s training routine involves relying on different On models. He told Canadian Running he trains in the On Cloudmonster for easy days, uses the Cloudboom Echo 3 for workouts and he swears by the Cloudspike 10,000 for racing.

In the summer, Lumb wore the Cloudspike 10,000 to win his first Canadian senior track and field title, beating out Charles Philibert-Thiboutot in the final 150 metres to win the men’s 1,500m. His win helped earn him a spot on Team Canada at the 2023 World Athletics Championships. The 1,500m at Worlds did not go as Lumb hoped; he just missed getting into the semi-final by two spots.

Lumb considers his first World Championships “a valuable experience,” even though he was disappointed not to advance. “I went to watch the 1,500m semi and final as a spectator and realized how simple the sport is,” he reflects. “I think it has given me a different approach to racing.”

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Lumb’s outlook was evident as he extended his racing season in Europe after the World Championships, setting a personal best in the 1,500m and a Canadian record in the 3,000m during his last two races of 2023. “With the late-season racing, I feel there is nothing to lose,” he says.

Guiding Lumb through his professional running journey is his university coach Andy Powell, who has been with him since Lumb transferred to Washington in 2021. “Andy keeps me grounded,” says Lumb. ” He tells me that one race doesn’t have to be the end-all, be-all.”

Lumb understands that the stakes are high in 2024, with the Olympics being the pinnacle of the sport, but he says he isn’t fixated on being on the Canadian Olympic team, and knows that if he can be consistent, his performances will get him there. “There’s a short window of opportunity in running, and my goal is to keep getting better and to put together solid performances,” Lumb says.