Interview: Fernando Cabada

by Mario Fraioli

Fernando Cabada, 24, has been making a name for himself as a star distance runner for Virginia Intermont College, an NAIA institution in Bristol, Virginia. Most recently, he won the national 25K championships in Grand Rapids, Michigan in a pending American record of 1:14:21—17 seconds faster than Ed Eyestone’s mark from 1991 and 44 seconds up on second-place finisher Julius Kibet of Kenya.

A frequent racer over a variety of distance and terrains, Cabada has been on a tear so far this spring. On April 21, the Fresno, California native ran 28:25.62 at the Oregon Invitational at Hayward Field in Eugene to top a 10,000-meter field that included NCAA champions Simon Bairu of Wisconsin and Robert Cheseret of Arizona. A little over a week later, he set a course record of 64:57 at the Country Music Half Marathon in Nashville, seven minutes ahead of second place. He also ran a personal best of 13:34 for 5000 meters at the Mt. SAC Relays on April 13. Next up for Cabada are the NAIA Championships at the end of May, after which he expects to have a professional contract.

MensRacing.com: First of all, congratulations on your win at the 25K this past weekend. Your dominating performance definitely opened more than a few eyes. Going into the race, a lot of people, even the race director, were overlooking you. What were your goals going into the race, and how do you feel about the results?
Fernando Cabada: Well, I knew that in order to qualify for the World Road Racing Championships in October in Hungary, I had to get first or second to secure a spot. I decided six weeks before the race to train for it. I figured I had a chance since I knew I was in decent shape. So I definitely was going for the win once I got there, knowing that there weren’t any big names like [Brian] Sell. [Ryan] Shay was there, but he’s been hurt. So basically it was me against an old guy [masters star Mbarak Hussein]. After the race I shocked myself. I guess I can run a fast marathon if I trained for it.

MR: Speaking of the marathon, do you have any plans for one in the near future?
FC: Maybe in the fall.

MR: Is that a decision you’ll make after the summer racing season?
FC: Well, my summer racing season will end after USA’s. Before that, I’ll be in Fresno with my family. Then it’s off to Boulder, to train with Brad Hudson[’s group]. I won’t go to Europe. I feel like I have done enough for this year. I will make a decision after that, but I have to talk to some people about it more.

MR: When did you decide to move to Boulder to train with Hudson, and what ultimately led you to make that choice?
FC: I made that decision recently. I have thought about going to a place to train with some of the best runners in the United States, and I couldn’t think of a better place to do it. I strongly believe that if I want to be world class, I need to be around guys who are on that level to do it. I mean, come on, it’s Boulder.

MR: So until you head out there later this summer, who will be coaching you, and who will you be training with in the meantime?
FC: I will be using myself as well some influence from Hudson himself. My season has only five weeks to go. I pretty much know what to do. I don’t want to really change anything right now. I will be living in Fresno and spending some quality time with my family for the next month or so.

MR: Let’s talk about your college coach, how was your relationship with Scott Simmons, and what kind of influence do you think he had on your development as a runner during your time at Virginia Intermont?
FC: He got me to be structured. I knew that if I could just stick with a program for two years or so, I would explode, and I was right. I just believe that I can’t get much faster here. It’s time to move on.

MR: Will you be graduating this year or are you not yet finished with your degree?
FC: I’m short a few credits, put it that way. As everyone knows, I have transferred to every college in the United States. When I came to Virginia Intermont I might as well have started all over. So no, I’m not done yet, but I plan on finishing. I am 24 years old, and the window is only open for so long with running, so I want to focus on that right now.

MR: I’m guessing that your training is going to change a little when you move out to Boulder, but in terms of your current training program, what kind of mileage do you typically run, and what are some of your key workouts?
FC: Well, I do about 10 to 13 runs a week, and anywhere from 90 to 100 miles. I think of my training as a simple plan, nothing too complicated. Some key workouts are 25 x 400 [meters] with 50 seconds rest at :63 to :64 [seconds per lap]. At numbers 17, 21 and 25, I will run as fast as I can, anywhere from :54 to :57, then still only get 50 seconds rest before getting back on pace again in :64 to :65. Another is 10 x 800. I will do those at an average of 2:08 or so, and have a couple of 2:00s somewhere in the middle and at the end. I do long runs of about 16 to 18 miles at 6:00 [minutes per mile].

MR: And have you been following this basic program since arriving at Virginia Intermont?
FC: Yeah. It has worked to get me where I am. I just need some training partners to break me off!

MR: Break you off?
FC: Yeah, you know, drop me in workouts, push me to the limit.

MR: Gotcha. You mentioned going back to Fresno for a bit to spend some quality time with your family before heading out to Boulder. Talk a little bit about your relationship with your family and the influence they have on you not only as a runner, but also as a person.
FC: I come from a very big family. Put it this way—I have 10 aunts, so I have about 40 first cousins who I am very, very close to. All of them, well 90 percent, live in Fresno. We will do anything for each other, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. My mother is my best friend and my hero. She has never doubted me and has always encouraged me not to ever, ever, ever, give up my dream. Without her, I am nothing. I owe her the world. I want to do something with this running business. I grew up poor, on welfare actually. We don’t own a house—she still pays rent. I want to change that.

MR: Given your recent successes, I imagine that you will. At the 25K, you raced in your college uniform, but I have to assume that you’ve been weighing sponsorship offers since then. Have you signed on with anyone yet?
FC: I just signed with Ray Flynn as my agent today. As far as shoe companies, I believe Nike and Reebok are the two who are interested, maybe more, but I’m not too sure. I guess they’re still talking it out. It doesn’t matter what shoe company it is, as long as they give me the best deal.

MR: So when do you hope to make a decision as far as that goes?
FC: I hope to wear a jersey from some shoe company by the time I race at the Reebok Grand Prix in New York on June 3rd. I will be racing the 5000 there.

MR: Speaking of races, you do quite a bit of them. In addition to your NAIA races, you did a lot of open races including club cross country nationals in the fall, U.S. cross trials in February, a half-marathon, some track races and most recently, the 25K in Grand Rapids. Other than the Reebok meet in June, the U.S. nationals and the World Road Championships in October, do you have any other races in mind for the summer?
FC: Not at this time I don’t. I won’t race again until maybe the U.S.A. 20K on September 4th.

MR: You started your college career at Arkansas with the Hogs. From there it was off to Minot State and eventually Virginia Intermont. Talk a little bit about what led you away from those places and how you ultimately ended up at Virginia Intermont.
FC: Oh boy. All right, coming out of high school, to join the Hogs was everything to me. That was a dream come true. When I went there, I mean, I had dreams, big ones. I expected things to come with the snap of a finger. See, I wasn’t physically or mentally ready for a place like Arkansas. It was real cut-throat. It was either all or nothing, and I guess I got nothing. I would go out crazy in races and die—I mean die, and I would mentally beat myself up. I forgot how to race. I just needed to leave. After NCAA cross country in 2001, I blamed myself for our loss and took it really hard. I felt like my running was over. I quit college for about a year and started to work with a tile crew. I didn’t run for about eight months from April or May of 2003 until December 2003. I just wanted to get back to college and finish my running. So I went to Minot State University in the spring of 2004 under Scott Simmons. He quit that job to go to Virginia Intermont, so I followed because he promised that it would be a better situation there.

MR: How do you feel about your overall experience at Virginia Intermont?
FC: You know, this school really did a lot for me. It got me to meets that I needed to get to, and I thank them for that. Virginia Intermont doesn’t have a [Division] I budget, but they made it possible for me to go to meets. I feel like I returned the favor by putting this school on the map. I mean, when I first started going to big races in the 2005 indoor season, nobody knew about Virginia Intermont. A year later, everyone knows!

MR: And given your recent results, people are now getting to know who you are and I have a feeling it’s only the tip of the iceberg. What does the future hold for Fernando Cabada?
FC: Good question! I believe that my future looks very promising in this wonderful sport. I don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow, or next month, but I just know that I am never going to give up following my dreams.

MR: And right now, what would you say those dreams are, specifically?
FC: The Olympics, standing on that podium! I honestly believe that I am the one.

MR: Well, you certainly don’t lack the confidence. Lastly, you catch a lot of flak on the running message boards for everything from being too cocky, to the number of colleges you’ve attended, for racing too much and everything in between. But you don’t seem to let it bother you one bit. How do you respond to all those criticisms?
FC: I don’t care what people think. The odds have always been against me all my life. I had a rough childhood and have been through some serious situations, and if I survived through all of that; nothing else really matters. I know who cares for me and who my friends are. I care what they think. I don’t have to prove myself to anyone else.

Interview conducted May 15, 2006, and posted May 19, 2006.