Announcement
National One Mile Race Walk Championship
Two South Texas Walking Club boys earned All-American status at the New York Indoor National One Mile Race Walk Championship but missed bringing home a gold ring. Geraldo Flores had every intention in the world of winning the championship but the Maine and Ohio high school seniors experience proved too much for the PSJA Southwest High School two time All-American Sophomore.
Geraldo and Matias Serna, a seventh grader from San Juan Middle School, were certain they could maintain their fifty-six second lap pace as they had in practice. However, the pace set by the Maine boys was well under fifty seconds per lap and the boys erred in going out with them. “Coach I felt great” said Geraldo, “And that is why I went after the leader.” Nine seconds faster on the first lap and four more on the third lap proved too much for the sophomore as he gradually started to fade away on his fifth lap. He was soon overtaken by the second, third and eventually the fourth place finisher but managed to earn his second All-American certificate as he crossed the finish line in 5th place. He was followed by Matias who won his first All-American high school honor at the young age of thirteen as he finished in the top six.
Kasandra Rodriguez of Alamo Middle School, Julisa Juarez of Liberty Middle School and Diana Lee Flores, a senior at PSJA High School, did not bring home All-American honors but they fared well as they competed in the largest race walk ever held at the New York Armory.
Twelve year old Julisa said she was gasping for air at the beginning of the race and it only got worse with every lap thereafter as she had never walked an indoor race. The sixth grader was furthermore somewhat intimidated since she was by far the youngest among all the other fifty high school girls in the race but managed to finish in 33rd place while Diana finished in 41st place.
Seventh grader Kasandra, also one of the youngest in the race, did better finishing in 31st place and is already looking forward to the high school outdoor one mile championship that will take place in North Carolina on June 15th.
