When seven Anaheim high school distance runners were struck and killed by a car driven by an allegedly drunk driver Wednesday while waiting to cross a street near campus, it once again drew attention to the dangers coaches and athletes face while training on the streets of Southern California.
For Hernan Herrera, the incident brought back memories of his senior year at Monroe High in 2009 as a member of the cross country team. In North Hills, he was hit by a car that ran a red light. He said he was hospitalized for several weeks with knee and pelvic injuries that required surgery and was sidelined for several months.
Herrera was 17. He is now the dean of students and wrestling coach at Monroe. He doesn't see a change in the training program used at most area high schools to meet the weekly requirement of 45 to 60 miles of training to prepare for competition.
“Everyone understands that accidents happen and no one is at fault except the person behind the wheel,” Herrera said.
Yes, schools could transport students to quieter streets or hilly areas with running tracks, but this would add costs, and many schools are located far from such areas.
Coaches have been letting adults supervise outdoor workouts for years. Monroe coach Leo Hernandez said he got the job in 1999 because he could run with his athletes and keep an eye on them.
Additional meetings and reminders may be needed for those jogging on sidewalks or crossing the street to be careful and to increase enforcement of traffic laws and attention to distracted drivers.
Herrera said athletes must do more than just run on the school track to be able to compete well in cross-country or long-distance races in track and field.
“I don't think there's anything that can be done to mitigate the situation,” he said.
