Central Valley man traveling to ‘The Big Apple’ to check New York City Marathon off his bucket list

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — Luis Hernandez has been running for so much of his life that the number of miles put on his feet can’t be calculated.

“It’s been about 20 years now,” Hernandez said.

The joy he found while taking part in high school cross country and track and field has never faded.

“I still have that love for just going out there, training, trying to be better, going for the goal and getting the reward at the end,” Hernandez said.

For Hernandez, those goals keep changing, and the rewards get bigger.

And what’s bigger than “The Big Apple?”

The New York City Marathon is happening on Sunday.

Last year, with more than 55,000 participants, it became the world’s largest marathon ever.

Despite welcoming so many runners, it’s not as simple as just signing up.

“It’s so hard to get into. It’s very hard to get into for anyone,” Hernandez said.

Runners must be invited, raise money for a charity or get selected through a lottery system.

This year, Hernandez was one of the lucky ones whose name was drawn to participate.

“It just has that bucket list kind of allure to it. Everyone wants to do it, so I’m excited for that,” Hernandez said.

For the past 16 weeks, Hernandez has been running an average of more than 60 miles every seven days to prepare.

“There are easy runs, and then there are hard runs. Then there are long runs,” Hernandez said.

While logging his miles, he also works full-time, and he’s helping others reach their marathon goals as a coach for Fleet Feet’s marathon training program.

“Training with other people keeps you accountable,” Hernandez said.

With the race just days away, Luis is optimistic that all of his hard work is going to pay off.

He’s shooting for a new personal best of two hours, 45 minutes.

If he accomplishes that, it will qualify him for his next goal, the Berlin Marathon.

“I have a big goal. I’m putting it out there. I hope I get it. It’s a tough course because of all the hills, but I think I’m ready, so we’ll see how it goes,” Hernandez said.

You can follow along with Luis’ progress by tracking him virtually during the race.

You can track him with his bib number, which is 7898.

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