The Next Great American Runner?
German Fernandez is arguably the best high school runner ever. He demolished the CIF state meet record in cross country (14:24 for 5k), won the USA Junior Cross Country championships (24:18 for 8k), ran the best distance double in high school history at the California State meet (4:00.29/8:34.23 for 1600m/3200m), and then broke Jeff Nelson's 29-year old 2-mile record, running 8:34.40!
German is now a freshman at Oklahoma State University, where he has already won the Big 12 Cross Country Championships and set a junior indoor world record for the mile, running 3:55.02! He repeated as USA Junior Cross Country champion, broke the junior American record for 3000m (7:47.97) and 5000m (13:25.46), and won the NCAA 1500m title in 3:39.00!
Breaking News!
German finished 5th the 5000m final on Friday night, running 13:25.46 and breaking Chris Derrick's junior American Record!
Don't forget to predict his freshman year PRs below!
Predict German's Freshman Year Track PRs!
How close can you get?
I've added this section because it seems clear to me that, following German's 3:56.5 opener at the Razorback Invitational and 3:55.02 NCAA Record at Big-12s, expectations need to be re-evaluated for this year. How fast do you think he can run? Name the event and the time, and justification if you think it's necessary.
My prediction:
buraian, at 1pm on January 25, 2009 predicts:
I predict German will run 13:19 for 5k and 3:36 for the outdoor 1500m.
Reader predictions:
Fetching predictions now... please stand by
rudester87, at 3pm on June 24, 2009 predicts:
I predict he will run 13:05 for 5000 metres, ad run 3:33 for the 1500 metres.Go German Go!!!!!
Ed Zeppeli, at 2pm on June 18, 2009 predicts:
German Fernandez's college marks will be rendered relatively meaningless as he becomes the greatest American middle-distance and distance runner of all time. Finally, a champion to displace the worn-out Prefontaine worship and to make people forget the false hopes invested in the likes of Alan "Psycho" Webb. Go German Go!!!
Nick, at 3am on June 15, 2009 predicts:
Is this for his college career? I think he'll run 3:31 for the 1500 and 13:12 for the 5k. I think Chris Derrick will be a faster 5k runner, though.
Andy Fernandez, at 3am on June 14, 2009 predicts:
3:37.52 for 1500m
Saul, at 12am on May 6, 2009 predicts:
3:52 for the mile
nick ribera, at 1pm on April 28, 2009 predicts:
he will dominate forever
nick ribera, at 1pm on April 28, 2009 predicts:
he is the best runner in history today..
Fetching predictions now... please stand byDid you know? Seven fun facts about German Fernandez!
We'll all know more about him soon enough!
- German ran a 4:22 for 1600m as a freshman!
- German finished 3rd at the 2007 Footlocker National Cross Country meet, after forgetting his spikes!
- German is the first athlete to win the California State Meet 1600/3200 double since Meb Keflezighi!
- German has taken down high school records from multiple Olympians, including Marc Davis, Dathan Ritzenhein, Meb Keflezighi, and Ryan Hall!
- German had to have his spikes filed down by a jeweler prior to his historic double, because they were too long for the Cerritos track!
- German also broke Galen Rupp's 3,000 meter high school record en route to his record-setting 2-mile performance! He crossed the 3,000 meter line in 7:59.83!
- German is now running for Oklahoma State University. He is also texting a weekly message to his fans at okstate.com
Lens Navigator -- All things German just a click away!
Boldly go where all fans have gone before!
- Predict German's Freshman Year Track PRs!
- German Fernandez
- Quick Poll: Where does German rank among the all-time high school greats?
- Was German's California State Meet performance the best ever?
- German Fernandez in high school
- High school running books at Amazon
- Video: German smashes Marc Davis' CA state meet record in cross country
- New Quick Poll: NOW what's German's greatest high school performance?
- German at World XC
- Video: German smashes Hall's 1600m record at the CA state meet
- Video: German smashes Ritz's 3200m record at the CA state meet
- Quick Poll: Which part of the double was more impressive, the 1600 or the 3200?
- German from Drawn to Running
- German Fernandez the collegiate
- Quick Poll: Who is the best freshman collegiate in cross country this year?
- Video: German runs 3:56.50 world junior record for the indoor mile!
- German's best performances
- Interviews with German
- US All-Time Best Performances lists
- News and Views about German from the Blogosphere!
- Other great distance running lenses by buraian
- What do you think about German Fernandez?
- Optimal Training

German Fernandez
Quick Poll: Where does German rank among the all-time high school greats?
Ryun, Webb, Lindgren, Rupp...German?
Was German's California State Meet performance the best ever?
Alan Webb's 3:53. Michael Granville's 1:46. Galen Rupp's 13:37. And now German's own 8:34.40! And there have been even more! So where does German's 4:00.29/8:34.23 rank?
Was German's California State Meet performance the best ever?
Fetching blurbs now... please stand byYes, no one has ever done that before
nick ribera says:
of course,. he ran better than anyone in the nation. and i believe he will continue to dominate.
Posted April 29, 2009
kaiser says:
of course...especially because of the blistering times too...just amazing man....
Posted April 10, 2009
Jason says:
yes. I doubt many people, professional or college level (with the exception of Rupp), could pull that off. Go German!
Posted March 20, 2009
Kevin says:
It was the best double in high school track history I would say. He alread broke Jeff Nelson's 2 mile record and German did this when he was still 17. When Alan Webb ran the mile in 3:53 he was already older than German and also he was running in an elite class field, with people like Hicham el Guerrouj, who currently holds the indoor and outdoor mile recordat 3:48 and 3:43.13.
Posted February 08, 2009
ruben says:
yes
Posted January 24, 2009
No, others were still more impressive
Greg says:
3:53 is superior, but I am very excited about is potential for the future.
Posted June 30, 2009
HT says:
Nope, but close.
Posted January 03, 2009
nelson fan says:
Being a huge Jeff Nelson fan, German breaking his 29 year old record is quite depressing. The kids really, really good, but Jeff Nelson for his time was AMAZING. & I'll always idolize him, JEFF NELSON,FOREVER! :) <3
Posted September 14, 2008
rob says:
it was the best double 1600/3200 ever or in the top 2. But i dont think that it was the best ever i would have to say that, that would be Alan Webbs 3:53 mile smashing legend Jim Ryans record. and Jeff Nelsons 8:36 because that is a full 2 miles and not a 3200 meter run.
Posted June 20, 2008
jesse says:
second only to Jim Ryun
Posted June 09, 2008
German Fernandez in high school
Rewriting the record books
"Running is a sport I have to do. I love soccer, but now that I know I'm pretty good at running, it's my sport now." --German FernandezGerman ran cross country and track for Riverbank High School, near Sacramento, California, where he was coached by Bruce Edwards. Prior to getting serious about running, he was an avid soccer and basketball player. He ran his first race in 8th grade, and trained for the first time as a freshman in high school.
He excelled quickly in running, clocking 4:22.95 for 1600m as a freshman at the Sac-Joaquin Masters meet, just missing a spot at the CIF State Championships. He came back his sophomore year and surprised everyone by winning the Sierra Invitational by 43 seconds in 16:01 and the 2.25 mile Artichoke Invitational in a course record 11:20 (beating Yosef Ghebray's time of 11:24, run when Ghebray was a senior). He went on to win the California D4 state meet over Chad Hall to claim his first state championship.
German began having injury troubles shortly after this, and did not run for much of his junior year. He finally came back his senior year with a vengeance, though. He blasted a 14:42 as the runaway winner of the Seeded Boys Race at the Stanford Invitational in late September, tore through the autumn undefeated, and recorded a 15:03 course record on the challenging Willow Hill layout to lead his Riverbank team to the win at the Sac Joaquin Division IV Sectional Finals.
He then won the CIF State meet in 14:24 to crush Olympian Marc Davis' Woodward Park course record of 14:38. He followed that by winning the Footlocker West Regionals meet at Mt. SAC in a time of 14:53. He then finished 3rd at the Footlocker National Championship meet, behind champion Michael Fout and runner-up Chris Derrick.
In February of 2008, German won the USA 8k Junior Cross Country championships in a time of 24:18, earning him a chance to run at the World Cross Country Championships. He finished 25th at the meet in a time of 24:15 and was the first American to cross the line.
In track, German continued his stellar running. He ran numerous impressive doubles, including a 4:05.57/9:00.10 and a 4:07/8:45.08. But his best performance on the track was surely his California State Meet double where he ran 4:00.29/8:34.23 by himself. It is already regarded as the greatest 1600/3200 double in the history of high school track. The performance earned him athlete of the week honors from the USATF. (Read Rich Gonzales' review.)
German broke Jeff Nelson's 29-year old 2-mile record at the Nike Nationals meet on June 20th, clocking 8:34.40. He also broke Galen Rupp's national high school 3,000 meter record, crossing that line in 7:59.83. For his record-breaking performances, Gatorade and USA Today named German Track and Field Athlete of the Year.
Sources: DyeStat, Wikipedia
High school running books at Amazon
Video: German smashes Marc Davis' CA state meet record in cross country
And Marc Davis was good!
Runtime: 4:24
11623 views
10 Comments:
New Quick Poll: NOW what's German's greatest high school performance?
Talk about a great senior year!
I closed the other poll where we had 83 respondents and 81 of them voted for German's double as his most impressive performance. Well, duh. But now it gets interesting. Which was better, his double or his two-mile? Or is it still one of his cross country races?
Books about high school greats
Webb, Pre and more!

German at World XC
Video: German smashes Hall's 1600m record at the CA state meet
Part 1 of his epic double.
Runtime: 4:30
17002 views
10 Comments:
Video: German smashes Ritz's 3200m record at the CA state meet
Gotta love YouTube!
Runtime: 9:39
29283 views
10 Comments:
Quick Poll: Which part of the double was more impressive, the 1600 or the 3200?
Don't underestimate that 1600m performance!

German from Drawn to Running
German Fernandez the collegiate
Taking Stillwater by storm.
Freshman YearGerman finished 3rd at the Cowboy Jamboree, running 24:12 in his first collegiate cross country race. He was the team's first finisher. He then took first in the Open Race at the NCAA Pre-Nationals meet, clocking 23:34.7.
German won his first collegiate championship by taking the Big-12 Cross Country title, running 23:47.4 and leading OSU to the team title. He then finished 5th (2nd on his team) at the NCAA Midwest Regional, running 31:20.60. At the NCAA Championships, German was running in the second pack when he hurt his Achilles and could not finish the race. He was roughly on pace to finish in the top 10.
German's Achilles healed quickly and he opened his track season with a Junior World Record 3:56.50 in his debut win at the Razorback Invitational Men's Championship Mile. It was his first ever indoor race, and he broke Boaz Lalang's record of 3:58.34 set in 2008, and Jim Ryun's previous American junior record of 3:59.6, set in 1966. He then defended his USA Junior Cross Country title in dominating fashion, running 23:20 to defeat Chris Derrick (23:39) and Luke Puskedra (23:53). In his 3rd race of the season, German ran 7:47.97 to win the Husky Invite and break Galen Rupp's American Junior Record of 7:49.16.
At the Big 12 Indoor Championships, German doubled in the mile and 3000m. He won the mile by 10 seconds, clocking 3:55.02 to break his own junior world record and the NCAA indoor record. He then came back to win the 3000m in 7:57.71. He skipped the NCAA indoor meet, then announced he had a stress reaction in his foot before competing in the World Junior Cross Country race and finishing 11th in 24:13. He was the top American.
German opened outdoors at the Payton Jordan Invitational, placing 4th in the 5000m in 13:31.78. The time was faster than Galen Rupp's AJR, but he was beat by Chris Derrick (13:29.98 AJR).
German won both the 1500m (3:42.80, prelim 3:47.49) and 5000m (14:21.05) at the Big-12 Championships. He won the 1500m at the NCAA Mid-West Regional, clocking 3:43.09 (prelim 3:50.78). At the NCAA Championships, German won his 1500m prelim in 3:41.39, then led wire-to-wire to win the NCAA title in 3:39.00. He then finished 5th at the USA Championships 5000m, breaking Chris Derrick's AJR with a time of 13:25.46.
Sources: okstate.com
Quick Poll: Who is the best freshman collegiate in cross country this year?
A bunch of studs are vying for the title!
Video: German runs 3:56.50 world junior record for the indoor mile!
See how smoothly he pulls away!
German's best performances
Record-breaking runs
Championships
2005 California State D4 cross country
2007 California State D4 cross country (14:24 CR)
2008 USA 8k Junior Cross Country (24:18)
2008 California State track 1600m/3200m (4:00.29MR/8:34.23NR)
2008 Nike Nationals 2-mile (8:34.40 NR)
2008 Big-12 Cross Country (23:47.4)
2009 USA 8k Junior Cross Country (23:20)
2009 Big-12 Indoor mile/3000m (3:55.02CR/7:57.71)
2009 Big-12 Outdoor 1500m/5000m (3:42.80/14:21.05)
2009 NCAA Outdoor 1500m (3:39.00)
High School Bests
4:00.29 - 1600m - Cerritos (2008)
7:59.83 - 3000m - Greensboro (2008) - NR
8:34.23 - 3200m - Cerritos (2008) - NR
8:34.40 - 2-miles - Greensboro (2008) - NR
Collegiate Bests
3:39.00 - 1500m - Fayetteville (2009)
3:55.02i - mile - Stillwater (2009) - JrWR, CR
7:47.97i - 3000m - Seattle (2009) - JrAR*
13:25.46 - 5000m - Eugene (2009) - JrAR
23:20 - 8000m - Derwood (2009)
31:20.60 - 10000m - Stillwater (2008)
*Technically, it's not, because the track is 308m and "over-sized". But it's still the fastest any American junior has ever covered 3000m on any track.
Sources: FlashResults
Interviews with German
Get the shimmy from the man himself
US All-Time Best Performances lists
How long before German is on these?
1. 3:29.30 - Bernard Lagat - Rieti (2005)
2. 3:29.77 - Sydney Maree - Koln (1985)
3. 3:30.54 - Alan Webb - Saint-Denis (2007)
4. 3:31.01 - Jim Spivey - Koblenz (1988)
5. 3:31.52 - Steve Holman - Brussels (1997)
6. 3:31.76 - Steve Scott - Nice (1985)
7. 3:31.93 - David Krummenacker - Stockholm (2002)
8. 3:33.1 - Jim Ryun - Los Angeles (1967)
9. 3:33.28 - Chris Lukezic - Rome (2006)
10. 3:33.6 - Joe Falcon - Oslo (1990)
11. 3:33.72 - Seneca Lassiter - Nice (1999)
12. 3:33.89 - Paul McMullen - Monaco (2001)
13. 3:33.99 - Steve Lacy - Oslo (1980)
14. 3:33.99 - Todd Harbour - Zurich (1982)
15. 3:34.25 - Matt Tegenkamp - Athens (2007)
NR. 3:39.00 - German Fernandez - Fayetteville (2009)
1 mile
1. 3:46.91 - Alan Webb - Braaschaat (2007)
2. 3:47.69 - Steve Scott - Oslo (1982)
3. 3:48.38 - Bernard Lagat - Oslo (2005)
4. 3:48.83 - Sydney Maree - Rieti (1981)
5. 3:49.31 - Joe Falcon - Oslo (1990)
6. 3:49.80 - Jim Spivey - Oslo (1986)
7. 3:50.34 - Todd Harbour - Oslo (1981)
8. 3:50.40 - Steve Holman - Oslo (1997)
9. 3:50.84 - Tom Byers - Koblenz (1982)
10. 3:51.1 - Jim Ryun - Bakersfield (1967)
11. 3:51.34 - John Gregorek - Oslo (1982)
12. 3:51.39 - Richie Harris - Koblenz (1984)
13. 3:51.62 - Chuck Aragon - Oslo (1984)
14. 3:52.02 - Craig Masback - Oslo (1979)
15. 3:52.2 - Marty Liquori - Kingston (1975)
NR. 3:55.02i - German Fernandez - Fayetteville (2009)
3,000 meters
1. 7:30.84 - Bob Kennedy - Monaco (1998)
2. 7:33.37 - Sydney Maree - London (1982)
3. 7:34.41 - Bernard Lagat - Rethimno (2006)
4. 7:34.96 - Adam Goucher - Monaco (2001)
5. 7:34.98 - Matt Tegenkamp - Monaco (2006)
6. 7:35.84 - Doug Padilla - Oslo (1983)
7. 7:36.69 - Steve Scott - Ingelheim (1981)
8. 7:36.90 - Chris Solinsky - Sheffield (2007)
9. 7:37.04 - Jim Spivey - Koln (1993)
10. 7:37.70 - Rudy Chapa - Eugene (1979)
11. 7:38.03 - Marc Davis - Monaco (1993)
12. 7:39.03 - Dathan Ritzenhein - Sheffield (2007)
13. 7:39.28 - Alan Webb - Eugene (2005)
14. 7:39.45 - Tim Broe - Lausanne (2001)
15. 7:40.0 - Daniel Lincoln - Eugene (2006)
NR. 7:47.97 - German Fernandez - Seattle (2009)
5,000 meters
1. 12:58.21 - Bob Kennedy - Zurich (1996)
2. 12:59.22 - Bernard Lagat - London (2006)
3. 13:01.15 - Sydney Maree - Oslo (1985)
4. 13:04.90 - Matt Tegenkamp - Stockholm (2006)
5. 13:10.00 - Adam Goucher - Heusden-Zolder (2006)
6. 13:10.86 - Alan Webb - Berlin (2005)
7. 13:11.77 - Meb Keflezighi - Heusden-Zolder (2000)
7. 13:11.77 - Tim Broe - Oslo (2005)
9. 13:11.93 - Alberto Salazar - Stockholm (1982)
9. 13:11.93 - Anthony Famiglietti - Walnut (2007)
11. 13:12.24 - Chris Solinsky - Heusden-Zolder (2007)
12. 13:12.91 - Matt Centrowitz - Eugene (1982)
13. 13:13.32 - Abdi Abdirahman - London (2005)
14. 13:13.49 - Bruce Bickford - Oslo (1985)
15. 13:14.80 - Bill McChesney - Zurich (1982)
NR. 13:25.46 - German Fernandez - Eugene (2009)
10,000 meters
1. 27:13.98 - Meb Keflezighi - Palo Alto (2001)
2. 27:16.99 - Abdi Abdirahman - Eugene (2008)
3. 27:20.56 - Mark Nenow - Brussels (1986)
4. 27:25.61 - Alberto Salazar - Oslo (1982)
5. 27:29.16 - Craig Virgin - Paris (1980)
6. 27:31.34 - Todd Williams - Knoxville (1995)
7. 27:33.48 - Galen Rupp - Palo Alto (2007)
8. 27:33.93 - Alan Culpepper - Palo Alto (2001)
9. 27:34.72 - Alan Webb - Palo Alto (2006)
10. 27:35.65 - Dathan Ritzenhein - Palo Alto (2006)
11. 27:36.99 - Tim Nelson - Palo Alto (2009)
12. 27:37.17 - Bruce Bickford - Stockholm (1985)
13. 27:37.45 - Bob Kennedy - Palo Alto (2004)
14. 27:37.74 - Anthony Famiglietti - Palo Alto (2006)
15. 27:41.05 - Ed Eyestone - Walnut (1985)
16. 27:42.15 - Dan Browne - Palo Alto (2004)
NR. no time - German Fernandez - hopefully soon!
Source: All-Time Athletics
News and Views about German from the Blogosphere!
What others are saying about German Fernandez!
- the cassidy feed » runner's tribe interview with German Fernandez
- German Fernandez is the biggest middle distance hopeful to emerge from the US since the rise of Alan Webb. Read all about this young prodigy and get his thoughts on his Australian counter-part, Ryan Gregson? Read it HERE ...
- Triathlon Mok: Notes on German Fernandez, Galen Rupp, Alberto Salazar
- Galen Rupp is the new running sensation in USA and so is the 19 year old German Fernandez. Coach Alberto Salazar has recently seen a winning streak in all his athletes and I am really excited to see how they fare in the future. :):) ...
- Day 4 NCAA Champs, German Fernandez - Oklahoma State ...
- NCAA Day 4, German Fernandez - Oklahoma State from PreRaceJitters on Vimeo. German Fernandez wins his first individual NCAA title running 3:39, to win the.
- RunnerSpace.com | Videos | German Fernandez NCAA champion, pr 3:39.00
- German Fernandez ... Length: 03:51. RunnerSpace Live ... Length: 06:38. RunnerSpace Live ... Length: 04:07. Sarah Stevens, Ar... Length: 01:11. Ngoni Makusha Flo... Length: 01:18. Scott Sellers win... Length: 03:19. Charles Clark Flo. ...
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What do you think about German Fernandez?
Or his double...or this lens...
Share your stories, sightings, thoughts, rants, raves...
Tomdelbert wrote...
ery interesting, I'm now more aware of power of Running. I never post my comments earlier but the quality of your Lens compelled me to write these words.Thanks a lot for providing with such complete information.
Check out mine here :)
Bobby Clingerman wrote
in reply to Trey Harrison Hey Trey, Hope things are going well for you. I actually live in Mooresville, NC. Are you still running? Do you still live in Eldorado? Believe it or not I just started running again, just for fun though. I was hoping to come back this year 2009 and run in the River Run.
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