German didn't even win the national outdoor mile his senior year of high school. Was too afraid to possibly lose, so he didn't compete. He did win the 2 mile though.
German didn't even win the national outdoor mile his senior year of high school. Was too afraid to possibly lose, so he didn't compete. He did win the 2 mile though.
“Win” seems like a bit of an understatement here, no?
He finished 2nd at 2014 USA Road 5k Championships and 8th the following year. In February 2017, he joined his alma mater as a graduate assistance coach
German Fernandez (born November 2, 1990) is a retired American professional runner from Riverbank, California, known for his performance in high school and collegiate cross country and track and field. Later he trained under...
German Fernandez - born on November 2, 1990. So this means he didn’t turn 17 until November of his senior year. So this means he was one of the younger ones in his class
German Fernandez - born on November 2, 1990. So this means he didn’t turn 17 until November of his senior year. So this means he was one of the younger ones in his class
Mean very little, a 13 year old can be a 6'3 freshman who runs 16:45 his first year of XC. A seventeen year old can just be catching up to where the previous 13 year old was in biological maturity. Almost 20 years later still people marveling over GF was 17 as a senior.
German Fernandez - born on November 2, 1990. So this means he didn’t turn 17 until November of his senior year. So this means he was one of the younger ones in his class
Mean very little, a 13 year old can be a 6'3 freshman who runs 16:45 his first year of XC. A seventeen year old can just be catching up to where the previous 13 year old was in biological maturity. Almost 20 years later still people marveling over GF was 17 as a senior.
In a sport like distance running, where things like training maturity and aerobic development continue into mid to late 20s, this is a significant piece of context that make German even more incredible. He wasn't some insane, physically mature younger runner. He was a generally athletic, skinny kid with an insane engine hiding underneath. He ran 4:22 in his first track season as a 14 year old, then that fall after just turning 15 he was CA state champ in 15:14 at Woodward. That day he ran faster than AJ Acosta, the D1 champ who would go on to be FL champion a few weeks later, and he absolutely dropped next year's FL champ, Chad Hall, in that D4 race. This was his first year running XC and I don't even think he ran the summer before season started.
Within 4 years of that first track and XC season, he would run a high school record at 2 miles, world junior record of 3:55, and be OK State's number 1 runner that season (unfortunately went down at nationals with injury). This is despite major injuries in his subsequent high school seasons, except his senior year. Even after that incredible freshman year, he still managed to run a 1500 PR of 3:34 after graduating.
My point is that all signs indicate that German wasn't someone who was mature beyond his years and was indicating a huge potential to improve if he hadn't been so dogged by injuries. Even with the injuries, he seemed to be able to accrue fitness at an alarming rate and execute a race with robotic efficiency. This is why people still marvel at German and why he holds every CA state record from 1600 to XC and not one of the studs since him has touched his times.
Wasn't he managing a Domino's or something like that? Or is that someone else. Does he even run? Do people who almost got to the top run just for enjoyment if they didn't fulfill what they thought was their destiny? He can probably destroy everyone at Turkey Trot and maybe even take second tier Kenyan's prize money at smaller races.
Wasn't he managing a Domino's or something like that? Or is that someone else. Does he even run?
Based on milesplit
1500 times Music City Distance Carnival 2017 - 3:43 Arkansas Twilight 2017 - 3:41 John McDonnell Invitational 2017 - 3:41
15k gate river run (road) 2017 - 44:57
Yeah, he retired in 2017 and was a grad assistant at OK state in like 2018 (or whenever Isaia Rodriguez was a freshman). Believe he's working in law enforcement up in Santa Cruz area now and I thought I saw that he'd participated in a run about a year ago, via his social media. I don't follow him anymore so this is all off the top of my head but think that's generally what he's been up to.
"Managing a Domino's" is either a troll or maybe a reference to the fact that after 2008 CA state meet, he went home and had to work a shift at Applebee's. Believe he was a host though, not a manager but it was still a badass move to win two state titles in record time and still report in for work that night once he got home back to Riverbank.