Nadir Yusuf has an unshakeable confidence as he heads into the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Orlando on Saturday.
The talented marathoner will toe the line against a hungry group of competitors who will look to claim their spot on the Olympic Team that will represent Team USA at the Paris Olympics this summer. Yusuf will be running the second marathon of his career on Saturday, and he’s using his experience from his previous marathon to help him as he heads into the Trials.
Yusuf ran 2:15.26 for his marathon debut at Grandma’s Marathon back in June. Yusuf is proud of his efforts in the race, especially due to an issue when it came to nutrition.
“To be able to run 2:15 the way that I did, I don’t think there’s many people that could have achieved that,” he said. “I only took four or five gels. And then other runners shared some of their fluids or grabbed some water and powered right along the course. I think this one coming up next week will be pretty exciting. Because now we’ll actually be able to fuel and take in all the hydration stuff.”
Yusuf moved to the U.S. in 2006 from Somalia, which is a country in East Africa. He said that he and his family moved to the refugee camps in Kenya to escape the Civil War. He and his family moved to Rokane, Virginia for around a year before relocating to Willmar, Minnesota, which is where he grew up.
He was enrolled in an English Language Learners program for three years, which taught him the English language and eventually led him to discovering sports. He credits his homeroom teacher for not only leading and encouraging him to try out various sports such as soccer and basketball, but to go out for the cross country team as well.
“Thanks to her for getting me involved in running and trying out sports, because it’s been good,” he said. “It’s kept me out of trouble, being around good people and learning some life lessons and getting some opportunities.”
Yusuf said that his defining moment in the sport of running came when he was in the eighth grade. He had a love for playing basketball, which got in the way of his obligations as a member of the track and field team. His decision led to him being dismissed from the school’s track and field team.
“I just didn’t think it was important to go to practice,” he said. “And I was like, I like basketball, I’m gonna go play basketball instead. And the coach was like if you’re going to do that, you don’t need to be on the team because you’re not here. Just turn in your uniform and you can give this a try another year.”
That moment in his young career helped shape what not only his running career would look like, but what his life outside of running would turn out to be as well. He currently works as a sales development rep at a company called Bushel, which is a software developer for the agricultural industry, and is currently working on his MBA at Minnesota State University Moorhead.
“That was kind of the turning point for me and my running journey,” he said. “And from there, things just have kind of been good. And I was able to get a scholarship to go to college at Minnesota State Moorhead, which was a great program and from there, I was able to get my undergrad and now I’m working on my MBA. Running has been good and it’s been taking me to places.”
Yusuf said that he leaned towards the road racing scene due to more structure and financial stability. He also said that he has always preferred running the longer distances, which made transitioning to the marathon a natural process.
“I always enjoyed doing the longer races – cross country season, doing longer workouts,” he said. “I was always a fan of long runs. And I think it was just kind of this is your thing. Why not take it up a notch and give the marathon a try, because I’ve always just been the high mileage guy who can do that.”
Yusuf looks back on the things that he’s overcome throughout his life, and it brings his confidence, especially during the difficult times.
“When things get challenging, whether it’s race, life – to be able to reflect back and say, Hey, look at where they came from, essentially nothing to now, I have a stable job, I can run, go to school, helping with family and stuff,” he said. ”There’s lessons learned that’s applicable to life and the sport of running.”
Confidence is not lost when it comes to Yusuf, and he’s not aiming to just compete amongst some of the best athletes in the world in Orlando. He’s looking to earn his spot on the Olympic Team.
“A good day for me is going to be being competitive with the guys around me and trying to finish as high as I can to make the Olympic Team,” he said. “Not a lot of people get the opportunity to run at the Trials, so when you have it, you have to make the most of it and take advantage of it.”
