Jorge Torres Overcomes Loss, Returns To New York
- By Duncan Larkin
- Published Nov. 4, 2010
- Updated Nov. 4, 2010 at 7:03 AM UTC
Despite his personal tragedy, Jorge Torres returns to New York on Sunday. Photo: Photorun.net
The former University of Colorado standout and 2:13 marathoner lost his longtime coach and mentor, Greg Fedyski, in a car crash last year, but is returning to the ING New York City Marathon this year reinvigorated.
In the same horrific crash, Torres’ mother was injured, suffering a skull fracture.
“The accident affected me quite a bit, more than I thought,” Torres said. “I was kind of lying to myself, saying that it wasn’t affecting me and that I was training well. But how could it not be a distraction when you’re wondering if your mom is going to be all right and when you lose somebody close to you for the first time?”
While other top-seeded American runners like Dathan Ritzenhein, Shalane Flanagan, and Meb Keflezighi are in the spotlight, Torres has kept a low profile. And besides the loss of his coach and the injury of his mother, Torres’ training group under former marathon world-record holder, Steve Jones, disintegrated last year.
Still, Torres has put in the miles for New York and hopes to do well there.
“I have a twinkle in my eye that I would like to win the race. But if I improve on last year’s spot, at least I know I am heading in the right direction,” he said.
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FILED UNDER: News / NYC Marathon News
Duncan Larkin
Duncan Larkin is the news editor at Competitor.com and a freelance journalist who’s been covering the sport of running for over five years. He’s run 2:32 in the marathon and won the Himalayan 100-Mile Stage Race in 2007. His first running book, RUN SIMPLE, was released last July.