NORTH HILLS : Marathoner’s Message Wins Students Over

It’s a message that schoolchildren hear all the time: stay in school, steer clear of drugs, dream big.

But coming from Arcenio Herrera, a top marathoner from Guatemala who now lives in Sherman Oaks, the message sounds a little more convincing than usual.

“You have to be a champion in health in order to be a champion in anything,” Herrera told several hundred children Tuesday at Lassen Elementary School less than a week before he will compete in the Los Angeles Marathon.

He should know.

Herrera, 33, has won the Guatemala marathon two times since he started running 15 years ago and always finishes among the top five runners there. He ran in the Los Angeles Marathon last year, where he finished 37th, and the San Francisco Marathon in 1992, where he finished 19th. He’s run in races from Italy to Puerto Rico with more than 500 trophies and 200 medals to show for it.

Wearing high-cut shorts that revealed bulging quadriceps and the lightweight running shoes he usually saves for competition, Herrera spoke to students about the importance of a diet without drugs, alcohol, cigarettes or junk food. Speaking in Spanish as his wife Sylvia Shields Herrera served as interpreter, he urged students to respect their parents, stay in school and follow their dreams.

“I learned you can do anything you put your mind to,” said 11-year-old Tameaka Garrett after Herrera spoke. “This was something he wanted to do and no one could stop him.”

Growing up in a small town about 20 miles from Guatemala City, Herrera began running marathons after watching his older brother become a champion. He was 18 at the time and lived with his mother, who supported her five children by making and selling cheese. A rock of support and encouragement, his mother used to rise well before dawn on race days to prepare meals for her sons. When she died two years ago, Herrera moved to California hoping to ease his grief. He met Sylvia Shields, who has two daughters attending Lassen. The two were married in November.

On the playground, Herrera demonstrated how to breathe deeply and stretch before running. With a dozen children at his side, he jogged around the blacktop, his legs pumping in slow, fluid motions. Halfway around, without warning, Herrera took off in a full sprint, leaving the children far behind.

“He’s such a fast runner,” said Lorenzo Gammage, watching as Herrera slowed his pace to a walk. “I want to get a healthy life so I’ll be strong and fast like him.”