Men's Marathon Trials: Edwardo Torres Reaching For New Ground In The Marathon

By Amby Burfoot

Photo by Victah Sailer

In moving up to the marathon, Edwardo Torres had to run shorter. To get fitter, he had to go slower. In running, we don't always follow a straight line to our ultimate destination. There are twists and turns on the road, and bumps galore. Torres is a good example. Two years ago he was hobbled by his attempts to be a great 5000- and 10,000-meter racer. Now he believes he's in the best shape of his life, and he's feeling confident about a strong race on Nov. 3 in Central Park.

Flashback to 2005: Trying to match the track successes of his twin brother Jorge, Edwardo developed a succession of IT and hip-related injuries. The twins had been pretty much inseparable on and off the track since their early days in Wheeling IL, their collegiate careers at the University of Colorado, and their house-building escapades in Boulder, where their "Fight Club" home has housed many an aspiring runner. But, as Edwardo puts it: "Jorge has more speed than me. I was breaking down."

Looking for another approach, Edwardo began discussions with coach Brad Hudson, then living in Boulder, now in Eugene. He told Hudson that he needed to start all over again, but on a new path. "I was putting enough effort into my training, but things kept happening," Torres says.

Result: Hudson eliminated all long runs for Torres, keeping his workouts under an hour, and put him on a program that included hill sprints along with core-strengthening at least twice a week. "Brad listened to what I was telling him, and focused on getting me healthy before anything else," says Torres, still just 27 after many years in the sport.