Ruiz Pursues Dream on a Storybook Path

Since the state cross-country championships began in 1987, no City Section runner has won an individual title.

That could change next weekend, when Manuel Ruiz of North Hills Monroe High makes his run at history and tries to continue a story line that reads like a Disney movie.

Two years ago, Ruiz arrived from Mexico to live with his brother. He spoke little English and had never engaged in any running except for racing to catch the bus in Mexico City.

Basketball was his sport.

“I thought I was good,” he said.

Ruiz, 5 feet 8, tried out for the freshman-sophomore team at Monroe. He was cut.

He returned to his physical education class, where once a week, students were required to complete 10 laps within 30 minutes to receive an A.

Teacher Leo Hernandez, who’s also an assistant cross-country coach, saw Ruiz finish his laps in 18 minutes. The next week, Ruiz ran 12 laps in the same time.

“Then I got excited,” Hernandez said. “I said, ‘That’s it, you’re going to run cross-country.’ ”

Ruiz finished sixth in the City final and in the spring won the City track title for 3,200 meters. Last season, he won the City cross-country title and 3,200.

On Saturday at Pierce College, he ran the three-mile course in 14 minutes 54 seconds to win his second City cross-country title in preparation for the state final next week in Fresno. Although Ruiz missed the City record of 14:42, as well as the school record of 14:50, he can still accomplish a feat two former Monroe runners haven’t -- finish in the top three in the state meet.

“He wants to be the best runner to ever come out of Monroe,” Coach Dean Balzarett said. “It’s going to be interesting to watch.”

The Monroe runners Ruiz is trying to surpass are Cesario Marquez, who won the City cross-country championship in 1981, and Richard Nance, who did the same in 1973.

No City runner has finished higher than fourth in the Division I state race. Ruiz put himself in contention by his performance in the individual sweepstakes race of the Mount San Antonio College Invitational on Oct. 26. He ran 14:50 over the 2.91-mile course, the fastest among Division I runners.

Ruiz came to the United States to fulfill college ambitions. He’s going to graduate in June by finishing his high school credits in three years instead of the usual four. He receives mostly A’s and also works part time as a cashier for a fast-food restaurant. He’s expected to receive a college scholarship, with Arizona among the leading candidates.

His mother, father and sister still live in Mexico. He thinks of them when the pain begins to enter his muscles and he must call upon all his strength to keep running.

“I think of trying to become someone in life,” he said. “You have to keep trying, keep pushing.”

Hernandez said he knows what makes Ruiz a successful runner.

“He’s got will,” he said. “He didn’t know what running was. He didn’t know whether a 4:50 mile was fast or a six-minute mile was slow. He wanted to be the best at any cost. He can take more pain than anyone else I’ve seen in 15 years of coaching.”

Balzarett has coached cross-country for 38 years and says Ruiz could be his best runner. He jokes about taking the basketball coach to dinner every week to thank him for cutting Ruiz.

Ruiz, who never liked running before joining the cross-country team, runs 40 to 50 miles a week.

“It’s something that just happened,” he said.

He understands the chance to make history is within reach.

“It’s going to be hard, but I’ll try my best to see what happens,” he said.

Balzarett is confident Ruiz knows what he can do.

“He’s ready to run real fast,” he said.

*

Eric Sondheimer can be reached at eric.sondheimer@latimes.com