Lagat to go longer

Bernard Lagat will run the longest race of his career when he competes in next month’s NYC Half. The former Washington State Cougar started out as a 1,500-meter specialist and shifted to the 5,000 later in his career. He won world championships at both distances in 2007. The 38-year-old American narrowly missed a bronze medal in the 5,000 at last summer’s London Olympics. He said Tuesday he would enter the 13.1-mile half-marathon through Manhattan on March 17. Lagat reclaimed the American indoor 2-mile record at the Millrose Games in New York on Saturday. He has talked about trying longer distances in road races, but is still a force on the track in the 5,000 and may try to compete through the 2015 world championships. – AP