Birchfield Harrier Kadar Omar took more than three minutes off his half-marathon personal best to back up his success in the 2022 Trafford 10k.
The race took place on the streets of Cardiff, for the first time since before the pandemic.
Runners at the Cardiff Half Marathon
Omar, one of the Harriers' top senior athletes, broke the club record last Sunday in only his second race of the new year, recording the time of 1:02:46, ahead of brothers Mahamed Mahamed and Zakariya Mahamed.
It was a two-way battle for the men’s elite title but the strong grit of Kadar Omar came out on top after a rapid fast finish down King Edward VII Avenue.
Omar had been part of the leading pack alongside brothers Mahamed and Zakariya Mahamed, as the group raced through 10k in 29:36.
Mahamed Mahamed and Omar gradually pulled away from the struggling Zakariya as they went head-to-head through Cardiff Bay and towards the north of the capital.
Omar shook off the challenge but waited until the final mile to up the pace which to ensure him a clear and well-deserved victory. The refugee endurance runner, who fled his home in Ethiopia to move to a refugee camp near Nairobi at just the age of 13, beat Southampton’s Mahamed Mahamed by six seconds.
Omar said: “My aim was to test myself with the best athletes and take the win, so I’m happy to take the win and I really enjoyed the course.
"I really enjoyed the atmosphere and support along the way, thanks to the Cardiff people, the organisers and my coach for training me for this Cardiff Half Marathon.
"I fled from my country when I was 13 because of the political situation and I ended up in a refugee camp with my uncle and brother. I lived there in a tent; life became very hard.
"But I found a home through sport, and sport changed my life. I am always running to forget what happened and to focus on improving. Running is my life and is very dear to me so I enjoyed today."
Comments