It is more than three seconds outside his personal best but New Zealand middle-distance runner Nick Willis has picked up second in the Adidas Track Classic 1500 metres in Carson, California.

The Commonwealth Games 1500 metres gold medallist came home in a time of three minutes 35.75, 0.61 of a second behind current world champion and Athens silver medallist Bernard Lagat.

It's the ninth fastest time in the 1500 metres this year.