Year-round runner: BP’s Gloria Hernandez is always on the move – Austin Daily Herald

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Blooming Prairie’s Gloria Hernandez recently broke the BP girls cross country program’s record for fastest time. Rocky Hulne/sports@austindailyherald.com

Gloria Hernandez not only pushes herself on the course, but the rest of her team as well. Rocky Hulne/sports@austindailyherald.com

BLOOMING PRAIRIE — If you live in Blooming Prairie, chances are you’ve seen Gloria Hernandez on the run.

Whether it be summer, winter, in the morning, at night, or anytime in between the junior distance runner is as dedicated as they come to getting faster. Her method is simple — run until it hurts.

“The night before my races, I try to visualize how I’m going to get through it,” she said. “If it starts to hurt in the middle of the race, that means you’re doing it right.”

Hernandez recently became the fastest girl cross country runner the Awesome Blossoms have ever had and she has no signs of stopping any time soon.

Her record finish took place at the BP Invite last week with a time of 20:20.1, breaking the previous record of 20:29.2 that Bobbie Bruns set in 2017.

Last year, Hernandez was the first BP girl to run in the state cross country meet in 20 years, where she took 58th place.

Hernandez started running in Turkey Trots in elementary school, and she was already getting competitive by the time she was a seventh grader.

“I liked the atmosphere and I started taking it more seriously,” Hernandez said. “I want to be better every year, I want to get my times down. I’ve always tried to be the fastest and strongest I can. I’ve been going after that record since seventh grade. I was close in Chatfield and that’s a really hilly course, so I had confidence that I would get it.”

BP head cross country coach  John Bruns recalls Hernandez being involved in running as an elementary student, and even then she was competing. Since then, she’s only worked harder.

“She’s a real driven athlete. You don’t see too many kids like here. She’s probably in my top two or three ever in my 29 years of coaching,” Bruns said. “Times are always relative to the times and the course, but she has gotten stronger with every race. A couple of years ago, she got caught from behind in the last half mile a couple of times, but this year she’s a lot stronger in that area of the race. It’s fun to watch that improvement.”

Hernandez is more than just a runner in BP, she’s also a role model. A standout student in the classroom, she also reaches out to the elementary students as a demonstrator for how to start running.

“I like working with the younger kids, because when I was younger the older kids would work with me and talk with me,” Hernandez said. “That’s what I like about cross country. Everybody is nice and the whole junior high, JV and varsity team is together.”

Bruns said that Hernandez’s impact has been felt by the entire program in one way or another.

“She’s been a leader for our boys and girls,” he said. “She shows them that you have to work hard all of the time. She’s been a great example for all of our runners.”

Hernandez is also a distance runner on the BP track and field team.