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[Content provided by Scott Simmons, interview conducted by Carl Rose.]
Fernando Cabada, a student at Virginia Intermont College, has signed a full-time professional contract with the international shoe company Reebok. Cabada’s contract is annually renewable with bonuses and yearly increases based upon world and U.S. rankings, records, and performances.
Cabada first caught the eye of sponsors last spring when he decisively won the Oregon Invitational 10,000 meters, beating in the process the reigning NCAA Division I cross country champion and the NCAA Division I 10,000 meter champion. He then shocked the running world a few weeks later by winning the USA 25k national title and breaking the 15-year-old American Record, a rare accomplishment for a collegiate athlete.
In the following interview, former Denver Post sportswriter Carl Rose catches up with Cabada, who after much time off came back to finish second in the USA 20k Championships in September. Cabada will represent the U.S. at the IAAF World Road Running Championships in Debrecen, Hungary this weekend.
On the ups and downs:
"Other people went to one college, ran for one coach, graduated and signed a deal and then you never hear from them again. When I left Arkansas and bounced around to the other schools, a lot of people said I was finished. If I had stayed at Arkansas, I would never have run as fast as the times I am running right now. I had to go to all of those colleges, but I ended up being better. I learned a lot about training and learned what not to do. I had to go through a few bumps in the road but I think it has made me a lot stronger."
On coach Scott Simmons:
"I had a lot of disappointments and frustrations in college for so many years. At one point, I took eight months off from running and didn’t even go to school. But throughout that time, I always had a vision and when I came to Coach Simmons, we were just focused on baby steps and beating people who were faster than me. He believed in me and structured everything so well for me so that between what I had learned at other colleges and what he did with me, I knew I was going to be great if I could just finish school and train uninterrupted for a couple of years."
On his breakthrough year:
"People always said that I had a lot of potential in the past but now after breaking the American record in the 25K, it has made my agent's job a lot easier. When I won the 10,000 at the Oregon Invitational in April (28:25.62), even though it was windy, I had a lot left. I've run a 13:34.92 5,000 and that was good but I was eighth in that race. Winning the 25k shows I know how to win at a high level. And running a national record adds a lot more credibility to it. It shows I know how to win and that I am a champion."
On training in Bristol, Virginia:
"I am finally happy with my running and not just that, but my life too. I went to all of those colleges and had a rough time. But when I came to VIC (Virginia Intermont College) everything started to work out for me. I feel like I have finally found a home right here in Bristol and I am comfortable here."
On the future:
"I think my strength is that I am really realistic about myself. I don’t intend to set myself up for failure. I want to be a world-class marathoner. I don’t know if I can run 27:10 or 27:15 for a 10,000, but breaking the 25K American Record shows where my true talent is. I am 24 years old and there is no guarantee I can get a lot faster in the shorter distances."
"If the Olympics happen, they happen. I just want to do the best I can in 2006 and 2007. In order for me to have a chance at a world record or a medal, it will be in the marathon with my endurance. There was no way in hell I would have thought that I could run that time for a 25k, but now I feel like I could have gone a lot faster. I won by 45 seconds and just broke those guys. The guy in second ran 1:13:40 last year and if he had gone at that pace this year, I could have stayed with him. It felt like I was born for running that race."
On his marathon plans:
"I am running the Fukuoka Marathon on December 3rd. That's where all the Americans used to go to run fast in the 1970s and '80s and I wanted to do my own thing and not go to Chicago and go wherever everyone else is going to go. The people who tell me about dying in a marathon are not the American record holder. I am going to just go out at 5:00 per mile pace with no surges or nothing. I feel like it will feel comfortable and I should be OK."
The World Road Running Championships:
"My next big race is the first-ever IAAF World Road Running Championships next Sunday in Debrecen, Hungary. It is a 20k and takes the place of the world half marathon. Now they are going to have it every year as a series of odd distances like the 15k and 25k. This year it's a 20k and I want to try to break the American record for 20k there (58:42 by Abdi Abdiraham).
Posted by Alison Wade at 10:32 a.m. | Tags: Athlete Features