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Roberto
Martinez
By
Randy Mayes
Roberto
Martinez grew up in Acadlan, Mexico where he was a soccer player and 100m
sprinter in high school. His soccer team was able to win team awards and prizes,
but there was no money for himself. So, he developed his sprinting talent to
earn extra money. A friend invited him to compete in a 5K competition to earn a
larger paycheck. Unfortunately, he had to drop out before 800m as he was
unprepared for middle distances. Inspired by Rudolfo Gomez, a Mexican who won
the New York Marathon, he began training for longer distances.
While
attending Pueblo University in Mexico, he competed in the 5000m and 10,000m for
the school. He ran 14:23 for 5000m
and 29:07 for 10000m. For five years he studied medicine and earned extra money
on the roads. Unlike the NCAA, the Mexican college system allows students to
compete for money on their own time. With numerous road races in Mexico to
choose from to earn prize money, the amount needed to pay the tuition was still
greater than he could earn.
Motivated
to make money to support a family, not so much for the love of running, he left
school to dedicate more time to training. He joined Team Atletae and trained on
the mountains and volcanos at three thousand feet altitude near Mexico City. He
spent two years at the Elocotal Training Camp under a Polish coach and training
system. Tadeuz Kempka’s training system concentrated mostly on long distance
running.
Fifteen
to twenty mile days for a week at a time were common. For three years he raced
as a professional for several teams. He improved his times to 29:17 for 10K,
1:06 for the half-marathon, and 2:21 at the Guadalajara Marathon.
In
1994, he left for New York City to compete in the NYC Marathon. Unfortunately,
not being used to the cold weather, he did not finish. He liked the US, however,
and the prize money available here was very appealing. So, his wife Patricia
agreed to stay in the US to allow him to train and race, although in a milder
climate.
While
living in Manassas and working long hours on a construction job, he still
manages two track workouts and several long runs each week. So far in 2000 he
has won the Hartwood 10 Miler (53:22), Greenbelt 15K (50:27), and the Fair Lakes
8K (25:34). Other times include the Van Metre Five Miler (25:22), USO Defenders
Ten Miler (55:52), Georgetown Classic 10K (31:35), and the Sunrise 5K (15:40).
His current plan is to qualify for the Boston Marathon. After several more years he plans to return home to Mexico and continue his education.
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