The baby-faced Lagat, who has grown a wispy beard to make himself look older, is using his wealth of experience to groom the next generation of US distance runners, even as he contemplates his future. He hopes to run at the London Olympics next year and then reassess what path he wants to take from there. He might compete for a few more years or switch to coaching.

Lagat says “if I don’t get what I want to get here, being in medal position, it might actually discourage me. But it also might get me fired up.”