From Refugee to Record Breaker: Abdi Ibrahim's Long Journey to Portland State Something to be Thankful For

Senior Distance Runner Abdi Ibrahim spent his early years in a world where there were days without water and food was provided monthly by a United Nations program.

His Somalian family was living in a refugee camp in Kenya, escaping a civil war in their homeland. That’s where he was born.

Life was hard in the IFO refugee camp, he recalled.

“People will never understand how hard it was to live in a refugee camp until they do it…going days without water sometimes…having to travel far on foot to find the nearest water source and carrying that back to your home. We took it one day at a time,” Ibrahim recalls.

Making money for the bare necessities was difficult.

“You had to be self-employed. My family had animals like goats, cows, sheep and camels. My father earned income from selling and buying animals which meant he had to travel a lot with animals from town to town and country to country sometimes,” he said.

And, that meant that the family had to take care of the animals when he was home. Ibrahim remembers taking them to forage in the morning and returning with them at night.

“We were very young, but we matured faster. The older each one of us got (he has seven siblings), we all had to do our part for the family. When it came to cooking, cleaning, feeding the animals. As a seven-year-old, sometimes I would take the animals out in the morning and bring them back later in the evening. We had to grow up so fast and help the family in any way we can, including looking after each other when our parents were gone” he said.

Then, one day, a close family friend told them that their name was on a list of people who’d be allowed to emigrate. Although they’d filled out the application ("that was hard, some people made mistakes on the application and not everyone made it through to the end…it was heartbreaking"), the Ibrahims were so busy scratching out a living, they weren’t paying close attention to the postings.

Everyone who lives in a refugee camp has only one goal: “to get selected to go to America, UK or Canada or anywhere else that will give a better opportunity for their children.”

The excitement was unbounded. They were told they had two weeks to gather their belongings and say goodbye to people who’d become close because of the shared hardships.

“It was a surprise and the happiness went through the roof, man. That was honestly the best thing that ever happened to my family. We said our goodbyes and celebrated with our families as we had a journey ahead of us, but this time it was a great journey and a better life.”

They ended up in Portland’s Parkrose district and that’s when sports began helping smooth the way for Ibrahim’s assimilation into America.

Soccer was the only sport he’d known in Kenya. Suddenly there was an array of sports available and Ibrahim added basketball to his life. He and his siblings competed with each other in those two sports.

Plus, sports helped him make friends in his new environment and accelerated his transition to speaking English.

He started running in middle school, promoted by older brother Hassan, who was a distance runner, and a close friend Ahmed Muhumed, currently a professional runner for Hoka NAZ Elite. That piqued his interest, and he began to run…but was more into basketball and soccer.

Although it wasn’t his favorite sport, he realized halfway through high school that he was a good distance runner and decided to give it his full commitment.

“At first, there was no love for it. I was just doing it because I was good at it. But then I realized that it was more than just running, it was the community built around running, the people and friends that I made. Running became my life instead of just something I was good at…I got to travel, go to camps and meet new people. I just love the culture that running brings,” said Ibrahim.

At Parkrose High School, he was a three-time state-qualifier in cross country and played three years of basketball. He drew interest from the PSU coaching staff, but hadn’t taken a required sophomore course (something he realized later, he could have fixed, but lacked the counseling). So, Ibrahim spent two years at Clackamas, then Lane Community College before re-approaching the Portland State coaches.

“I was interested in PSU when I was in high school and really wanted to go there right away. I loved the coaches there and they wanted me,” he said.

So, when Ibrahim approached PSU after two years of community college, there was mutual interest. This year he is a team co-captain.

“He’s a senior with lots of maturity and a strong work ethic,” Portland State head coach Jonathan Marcus said. “He really knows how to balance his time being a student-athlete and, because of that, he’s a great role model for our underclassmen.”

Ibrahim goes out of his way to help younger students deal with the ups and downs of college level competition and time management, according to Marcus. “He has a great team-first mindset. Our team culture wouldn’t be what it is without his presence. He’s one of those student-athletes you’d like to have for six or seven years. He brings such a presence to the team that he’ll be difficult if not impossible, to replace.”

During his time at PSU, he’s had some success, although he says he hasn’t accomplished all his goals…yet.

He holds the school record in the cross country 6k with a time of 17.33.1 and indoors, ranks in the top 10 in the 1k, 3k, and distance medley relay. He’s in the top 10 in both the indoor and outdoor 5,000 meters, his personal favorite.

“I feel comfortable running the 5k more than anything. I’ve always been a guy who doesn’t have blazing foot speed. The 5k isn’t very long or very short. It’s my favorite because I am really good at it and enjoy it more than other events,” he said.

Post-high school life hasn’t been a smooth ride. He was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease in 2021 and thought about hanging up his shoes.

“Overcoming that showed me I can do anything I set my mind to. It hasn’t been an easy road,” he said. And it set him back in reaching some of his running goals. “I have so many running goals that I want to accomplish and I know I can achieve those goals if I continue in the direction I am going now.”

He’s on track to graduate next summer in Public Health Studies: Community Health Promotion and he’s proud of that achievement.

“Education is very important to me. I don’t take any opportunity for granted and I’ve worked very hard to keep my GPA up. Being good at running has blessed me to achieve many other things such as getting my bachelors,” he said.

He wants to give running two or three more years to see if he can accomplish more of his goals and would like to work with a nonprofit to help youth and low-income families.

Abdi Ibrahim has come a long way since those days in a Kenyan refugee camp and his life has taught him things he’d like to share.

“I just want to tell people no matter how hard life gets, just have faith and know that those people around you will get you through. Trust me. You’ll feel better about yourself when you get back up and chase your dreams. Life is full of ups and downs.”

And he should know!