Name Brenda Martinez | ||
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Similar People Ajee' Wilson, Alysia Montano, Chanelle Price, Jennifer Simpson, Shannon Rowbury | ||
Brenda martinez
Brenda Martinez (born September 8, 1987) is an American track and field athlete, specializing in middle distance races. Born in Upland, California. She won a bronze medal in the 800 meters at the IAAF World Championships in Moscow, 2013. She also represented the USA at the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships in the 1500 meters. On February 7, 2015 she set a world record in the Distance medley relay at New Balance Indoor Grand Prix. In 2015 started Big Bear Track Club and recruited their first athlete Boris Berian. In 2016, Martinez qualified for the U.S. Olympic team competing in the 1500 meters after beating Amanda Eccleston by .03 seconds.
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Martinez ran collegiately for University of California, Riverside, finishing second at the NCAA Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the 1500 m. She attended Rancho Cucamonga High School, graduating in 2005. She is of Mexican American descent.
Her training is meticulously planned by veteran coach Joe Vigil assisted by Brenda's husband and former Concordia University (California) runner Carlos Handler.
Brenda martinez makes 2017 usatf 800m team
Giving back
Martinez had spoken regularly at high schools and running camps, so her coach Joe Vigil suggested she start her own running camp for young girls. Her first camp in 2013 consisted of five California middle school and high school girls. There's no official camp name but it can be referred to as the Big Bear Altitude Training Camp. This summer(2017) will mark the camp's fifth year.
The application process is quite easy, all they have to do is submit an open prompt essay and they have to live in Southern California. “Picking a stack, that’s the hardest part,” Martinez said, referring to her application process. The campers aren't necessarily the school's fastest runners, but that's not the point. “I want to get them to believe they can do it even when times are getting tough,” she said. “They see me as an example. I share my story with them, and they share their stories with me. It’s the reason they’re at camp. Storytelling brings us together.”
Over the course of about three full days, the campers, coached by Martinez and a few of her friends, get to know one another over home-cooked meals, seminars, and runs. The group runs twice a day, but the focus isn’t on intense workouts. Evening seminars, led by Martinez and her physical therapist, range from injury prevention to positive thinking.