New York - Bernard Lagat has a dream.

No, not the obvious ones - of winning the classic Wanamaker Mile at the Millrose Games for a sixth time this Friday night at Madison Square Garden, or far more importantly, running to one - or maybe even two - gold medals at the Beijing Olympic Games.

This dream transcends sport. This one relates to "the real world" beyond the athletic arenas of the universe, this one relates to "real people" and the real horrors of the political unrest currently tearing apart his homeland of Kenya, and the resultant deaths of over 800 people, two international athletes among them, thus far.

The medals will heal the country

Lagat, who took the bronze medal in the 1500m at the Sydney Olympic Games of 2000, and the silver medal in the 1500m at the Athens Games of 2004, for his native land of Kenya, then celebrated his new status as an American citizen and World Championships-eligible USA athlete by winning the 1500m and 5000m golds at Osaka late last summer, hopes and prays for a quick resolution of Kenya’s difficulties and sees sport as a logical way for Kenyans to start building a new national harmony.

“We all hear the news,” he said at at a Millrose Games press conference Wednesday at Madison Square Garden, often called “the world’s most famous arena.”

“Kenya is like a roller coaster. Things change every day. It is very sad. And it is on my mind all the time.”

Lagat, 33, a graduate of Washington State University, originally of Kapsebet, Kenya, now calls Tucson, Arizona his home. But he has many family members in Kenya and a vast number of.....READ MORE