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.<\/p>\n
“It’s been about 20 years now,” Hernandez said.<\/p>\n
The joy he found while taking part in high school cross country and track and field has never faded.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
For Hernandez, those goals keep changing, and the rewards get bigger.<\/p>\n
And what’s bigger than “The Big Apple?”<\/p>\n
The New York City Marathon is happening on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Last year, with more than 55,000 participants, it became the world’s largest marathon ever.<\/p>\n
Despite welcoming so many runners, it’s not as simple as just signing up.<\/p>\n
“It’s so hard to get into. It’s very hard to get into for anyone,” Hernandez said.<\/p>\n
Runners must be invited, raise money for a charity or get selected through a lottery system.<\/p>\n
This year, Hernandez was one of the lucky ones whose name was drawn to participate.<\/p>\n
“It just has that bucket list kind of allure to it. Everyone wants to do it, so I’m excited for that,” Hernandez said.<\/p>\n
For the past 16 weeks, Hernandez has been running an average of more than 60 miles every seven days to prepare.<\/p>\n
“There are easy runs, and then there are hard runs. Then there are long runs,” Hernandez said.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
“Training with other people keeps you accountable,” Hernandez said.<\/p>\n
With the race just days away, Luis is optimistic that all of his hard work is going to pay off.<\/p>\n
He’s shooting for a new personal best of two hours, 45 minutes.<\/p>\n
If he accomplishes that, it will qualify him for his next goal, the Berlin Marathon.<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
You can follow along with Luis’ progress by tracking him virtually during the race.<\/p>\n
You can track him with his bib number, which is 7898.<\/p>\n
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