German Fernandez
In Stanislaus County, he's know as "German Fernandez, Riverbank High senior and one of the state's top distance runners." But in cross country circles, he's simply known as "German."
You may have seen him and his team, training through much of Riverbank. After Saturday's Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Meet at Willow Hills in Folsom, he may be the top cross country runner in the country. He ran an unheard-of 15:05 on a 5-kilometer course that's considered incredibly tough. One Division I runner on Saturday, after finishing the race, said "It could only be tougher if it had a pit of crocodiles after the final hill." His 15:05 broke the previous course record by 1:12!
At Fresno's Woodward Park, the site of the state meet, section runners have improved their times from Willow Hills by an average of 50 seconds. So what would happen if German improved on that run by, say, 35 seconds for an even 14:30? The current state meet record is 14:38, set in 1986 by San Diego's Marc Davis (He finished 12th in the steeplechase in the 1996 Olympics).
What does a 14:30 translate to in mile times? It would be the equivalent of running three consecutive (EDIT) 4:40 miles (OOPS, MY BAD ON THE MATH, WDB). Yup, that's fast. German will compete for a national championship at the Foot Locker National Championships at San Diego's Balboa Park on Dec. 8. Also that day are the California State High School Football Championships in Carson. Time for a travel budget request!
- wdeboard's blog
- Login or register to post comments
That's some good running. I hope you keep us posted
and thanks.
German Rocks
German is a phenomenal runner. Fingers crossed he stays healthy and breaks the state record!
German Rocks!!
14:33 at STATE!!!
Where does he run next?
"I find the radical middle extraordinarily compelling. Any politician who can capture this mode of thinking and not just give lip-service to it deserves my vote."
His next race is Saturday,
His next race is Saturday, Nov. 24 at Fresno's Woodward Park in the state championships. His race is at 1:25 p.m.
The following weekend it's the Foot Locker Western US regionals at Mt. SAC College in SoCal, then it's the Foot Locker National Championships at Balboa Park in San Diego. German has a legitimate shot at winning all three of those races.
I might be able to get to Fresno and it is so good to see
one of our very own compete like that. He really is a few cuts above the rest, for sure. Appreciate you updates also w/b.
"I find the radical middle extraordinarily compelling. Any politician who can capture this mode of thinking and not just give lip-service to it deserves my vote."