Bernard Lagat is looking forward to November. He’s excited to vote in the U.S. presidential election; it will be just his second time.
In his Tucson home, Lagat said, the television is always tuned to politics.
Interestingly, when the middle-distance runner was living in Kenya, his native country, he didn’t vote. He didn’t think it mattered. As a citizen of the United States since 2004, the Washington State graduate doesn’t take his vote for granted.
“I used to think that voting was just for the older folks, and that we younger people have a lot of time,” said Lagat, who supports Barack Obama for president.
“But it’s everybody’s time. The young, the old, it doesn’t matter who you are, that is your constitutional right. I believe that voting is one of the most fundamental ones, like freedom of speech and expression. I think that is really what is important here in America, and I’ve really embraced that.”
In a different realm, and in a different campaign, Lagat cast another vote three years ago. He publicly endorsed Eugene’s bid to host the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials.