CARSON, Calif. — Running his first metric mile of the outdoor season on Sunday, the world champion Bernard Lagat steered clear of trouble at the start of the 1,500 meters, which more closely resembled a Nascar race than a footrace.

His winning time of 3 minutes 35.14 seconds at the Adidas Track Classic was perhaps less important than the fact that Lagat avoided a pileup after about 80 meters that forced a rare restart.

He had hoped to run 3:33, but given the conditions — 110 degrees on the track at the Home Depot Center and two runners falling — health became more important than speed.