Brenda Martinez has proven herself on the track. She was recently named by ISAAF as the 17th fastest woman in the world in the 1500m. On May 2, she ran the 1500m in the fastest time of the year for a college athlete, a time of 4:13.58. She is a member of the UC Riverside Cross- Country team, which won the Big West Championships in 2008.
In March, she became Riverside's first Division I All-American after her seventh place finish in the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. She was also named the 2009 Big West Women's Track Athlete of the Year for the second year in a row. She holds the UCR record in the 800m, 1500m, and 5000m events. Additionally in 2008, Martinez made the NCAA National Championships in the 1500m.
"It's not me. It's my teammates right with me," Martinez said of her accomplishments. "We've all worked really hard for it. We train so hard, and I'm so pleased with what we have."
The track team's head coach, Irv Ray, had only good things to say.
"Brenda Martinez has worked extremely hard and has been very diligent in her training preparation and was really prepared for a breakthrough season," Ray said about Martinez's training.
Martinez came into the 2009 Big West Championships with her goal of protecting her 800m and 1500m title. She also hoped to break two minutes in the preliminaries 800m, but conceded that it would be difficult without her teammates.
In the 1500m, she broke the all-time record set in 1987 by UNLV runner Trena Hull, a time of 4:16.40. On May 2, she did so with a time of 4:13.58 at an invitational in Stanford, Calif. Martinez currently holds or helps hold the UCR record in seven different events.
Instead, Martinez opted to plan to run around a 4:18 to assist her teammate Danielle Evans. Her plan worked. Martinez and Evans finished first and second in the 1500m. Martinez won the 1500m for her third straight year in a time of 4:17.88, and Evans finished close behind with a time of 4:23.06.
"My goal was to help her," Martinez said. "And I ran a 4:17; so we did pretty good."
Martinez also won the 800m in 2:03.05.
Her teammates finished second, third, and fourth behind her. She was asked by her coaches to step in and run the last race of the meet, the anchor leg of the 4 x 400m relays. She won the race, qualifying her teammates for the NCAA Regional Championships.
"Brenda really cares about her teammates," Ray said. "She anchored our 4 x 400 relays teammate for the first time all year. She ran a really fast time, and we broke the school record and qualified the team for the Regionals. The rest of the team is here in the 4 x 400 because of Brenda's willingness to jump in and do an event that's not her specialty."
Martinez's ultimate goal is to become a professional runner. During the off-season she may have to decide between going professional or coming back to UCR for her senior season.
"I want to turn pro. That's been a dream for me," Martinez said.
Martinez ran in the 2008 U.S. Olympic qualifiers as she attempted to make the Beijing Olympics. Ray hopes that Martinez will make it to the Track and Field World Championships and possibly the 2012 Olympics in London.
"Just like football players and basketball players do, she is at that level where Adidas and Nike are asking about her and inquiring about signing her," Ray said. "We're looking down the road to the Olympic team."
Reflecting on her performance this season, Martinez was happy, but also excited about the future.
"I'm really pleased where I'm at right now. I feel there's a lot left in the tank, and I can get faster," she said.
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