A half marathon is just another stroll in the park for Edgar Hernandez.
The UNM freshman finished second out of 996 competitors in the half marathon run of the Duke City Marathon on Sunday, ending the day in first place in his age bracket.
Hernandez blazed through the course in 1:11:25. The marathon stretched from Civic Plaza up 6.55 miles through the Paseo del Bosque Recreational Trail and back again.
"My race strategy was to just keep it calm and not to take the lead until mile eight or nine," Hernandez said. "Then, at mile nine, I was supposed to just make a move and pass whoever was in front of me - just make a gap and take the lead."
His plan was busted by only one competitor. First-place finisher Eric Ollila finished in 1:09:59, 1:26 ahead of Hernandez.
Hernandez said he had Ollila in sight the entire race.
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"We were together the whole way up until mile eight," he said. "I think he had the same game plan as me, and he initiated it first because he started breaking away."
Hernandez said he didn't let his nerves take over his first half marathon.
"When I got to the line, I'm not going to lie, I got nervous," he said. "Everyone looked like they were really good. I kind of got intimidated, but I didn't let it get to me."
But Hernandez's performance might have given him the reassurance he needed after being sidelined by an injury during his high school career.
"I started running in my high school years at West Mesa," Hernandez said. "Then I broke my leg the summer of my junior year. I sat out my whole senior year, and I just started running again a few months ago."
Hernandez said he's making up for lost time.
"I have been training hard for the past four months," he said. "I've been running six days a week at least - eight- or nine-mile runs on average."
But that's just a warm-up. His main goal is three months and 26.2 miles away.
"I am training for a full marathon in Arizona - the PF Chang's Rock and Roll," Hernandez said. "This race is just to see where I'm at."
Michael Curry, president of the UNM Marathon Club, said Hernandez has the talent to contend at the Arizona marathon.
"Oh, man, he is quick - he is up there," he said. "I expect him to be a super competitor when we do our marathon in January. I'm not saying overall, but with his age group. He will probably place if he keeps up the training."
As the race nears, Hernandez said people still ask why he would put his body through something so rigorous.
"It's my hobby," he said. "Why would somebody want to do it? I don't know. A lot of people ask me, 'What do you do that motivates you to run?' The truth is, I don't know. It's in me."
