Mile 20 Mindset Podcast Episode 031 - Omar Cornejo

Title: Running the Race of Life: Omar Cornejo's Inspiring Journey from Undocumented Youth to Marathon Runner

Introduction:
In the latest episode of Mile 20 Mindset, host Allen Maldonado talks with runner Omar Cornejo about his remarkable journey in running. From overcoming personal struggles to achieving marathon milestones, Omar’s story is a testament to perseverance and the transformative power of running. 

Main Content:
1. **The Beginning of a Running Journey**  
Omar Cornejo's running story began in middle school, where he tried out for the track team. Growing up as an undocumented immigrant, the fear of injury and the associated medical costs loomed large over his family. "If you get hurt, it's going to have to come out of our pocket to get you treated," his parents warned. This reality made him hesitant to pursue sports, but the urge to run never left him. Years later, he decided to pick up his shoes and finally chase the dream he had set aside.

2. **Rediscovering the Joy of Running**  
As an adult, Omar faced challenges that led him to Dallas, where he began running solo. "I was a little overweight, so that was a part of it too," he admitted. His journey back to fitness was not just about losing weight; it was about finding a sense of belonging and peace through running. Relocating to Philadelphia, he connected with fellow runners, which deepened his commitment to the sport.

3. **The Transition to Racing**  
Omar's first encounter with competitive running came when he signed up for a 7K in Washington, D.C. "I wasn’t sure if I could do it or not," he recalled. After completing the race, he felt invigorated and recognized the vibrant community surrounding running. This experience led him to larger races, eventually culminating in his goal to run a marathon.

4. **The Marathon Experience**  
Omar’s first marathon was not the one he originally planned to run. After a spontaneous decision with his friend Louie during a night out, they entered the Baltimore Marathon. Despite a night of celebration that left them hungover, Omar completed the race in under four hours. "I took a gel 15 minutes prior and found a pace group to stick with," he shared. The challenge brought out unexpected strength and determination.

5. **Facing the Wall**  
Every marathon runner knows about hitting the wall, a psychological and physical barrier that can deter many. Omar experienced this at mile 20, where fatigue set in. He sought a moment of respite under a tree, only to be humorously interrupted by his friend urging him to keep running. "Get your ass up and keep running," Louie shouted, a nudge that propelled Omar back into the race. This moment exemplified the camaraderie that exists in the running community.

Conclusion:
Omar Cornejo's journey is more than just about running; it’s about resilience, community, and the pursuit of dreams against all odds. From a hesitant middle schooler to a confident marathon runner, his story inspires others to find their passion and push through obstacles. Key takeaways include the importance of community support in achieving personal goals and the power of perseverance in the face of adversity.

Tags: running, marathon, fitness journey, inspirational stories, community support, overcoming obstacles, mental clarity, health and wellness.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Hey, what's up? It's your boy Alan Mal Donato, your host for Mal20 Mindset. This is a running podcast for elite runners, novice runners, and those that love supporting the runners in your lives. Um, I got an incredible runner. Um, Omar Kaneho, what's happening with you, man? Welcome to the show.

SPEAKER_01 0:24

Thank you. Thank you, brother, for having me.

SPEAKER_00 0:27

Man, let's let's get like let's get right into it. I would I would love to know where your running story began. Was it for fitness? Was it for uh mental clarity? Like what was what was the reason behind your why?

SPEAKER_01 0:45

Okay, uh, let's see, where can I get started? I guess the reason behind my running, it starts back in middle school. You know, um, I'm Mexican, for those that don't know. Um I was uh I was trying out for the track team, track and field, made the team, but at that time uh we were undocumented. So my parents were kind of scared of me going out there and doing sports and getting hurt because, you know, going to the hospital is so expensive and being undocumented, you don't have the means or the ways of getting uh health insurance or all that, as you may say, you know. Um so it was very expensive for them. They explained it to me, look, if you get hurt, it's gonna have to come out out of our pocket to, you know, to get you treated or whatnot. That always just stuck with me. And um I'm 30 something now, legal here in the US now. Um fast forward, um, I picked up my shoes and you know, I I it was just my my way of getting out there and just doing something that I've always wanted to do, that I've had that little, you know, thing in the back of my head, like, what if I would have I would have, you know, stuck to doing track? What would have happened? And now here I am, you know, you know, just running.

SPEAKER_00 1:57

So that's that's a little bit uh so so so it sounds like you you you got this sort of urge and bug in middle school, but when did you find yourself as an adult, like, okay, this this is what I want to do? And then the next question after that is when did you finally say, hey, I'm gonna run a marathon? Like, like, like, like you went from track dreams to marathon. Please, please get me to how we got here now.

SPEAKER_01 2:26

Yeah, so uh I was in Dallas, you know, and um I was going through the hard time, you know, moving back and forth. And like I said, it's something that I always wanted to do, just get out there and run. And I got I got bought my shoes, went out, started running. And, you know, I noticed that I was okay at it. Also, a little bit was um getting my health right. So I was a little overweight. So uh that was a part of it too, you know, and um started out there and then um and yeah, that's that's that's how I got back into running.

SPEAKER_00 3:00

So you just was out there running solo, no like, no, just no this out just in the neighborhood, just getting some mouse.

SPEAKER_01 3:07

Yep, yep. And then I moved back, uh I moved back to um to the Philadelphia area, and that's where I met some of the guys that I do run with now. Um I'm more into it now. It was a process of getting into it, you know?

SPEAKER_00 3:21

So So, so did you have you did you run a 5K, 10K, or did you just say, I'm just doing a like what was the moment that you were like, hey, I'm doing a marathon? Like what was like it got started.

SPEAKER_01 3:35

Yeah. It started as that, you know, I just started running solo by myself, eventually met some of the guys that I run with now. And then uh there was this race in DC, the rock and roll. At the time, I wasn't, you know, sure if I could do it or not. So they had the option of uh 7K or a 5K. And I went and signed up for the 7K. I was like, you know what? I'm gonna do the 7K. Went in there, banged it out. And then eventually uh after that, it was the Philadelphia Love Run. And I noticed that, you know, I I liked it. It was like my safe spot for me, you know, to do them kind of things. Uh just the whole environment, the vibes that you get out of out of running. It was it was just so dope that I had to keep going, you know? And like a 7K turned into like, you know, that 10 mile or the then a half marathon. And now uh we're in Miami, hoping to do my third marathon on Sunday.

SPEAKER_00 4:31

Yeah, man. And like I like I mentioned, Miami's a uh it's a it's a dope run. Um it's gonna be hot, so make sure you you hydrate for sure. Um in Miami was definitely a good time. So let's go back to your your first marathon. So you decide you run this half, you've you know, you found this joy in running. Then it's like, okay, now let's go to the big boy. Let's get 26.2 of them things. Which what was your first marathon and take us to like race day? Like, because you're you're you're in Miami now for your third one, so you you know the sort of routine, but take us to day one of you race day, sort of embracing all that comes with marathon day.

SPEAKER_01 5:20

Okay, so funny story is uh for my first marathon, I always said, you know what, I'm gonna do Dallas. It falls right around my birthday, and it was where I picked up my shoes and I started running. So I was like, I'm gonna go back to Dallas and run this marathon. It's just something symbolic for me, you know? Um, and then I met this uh this good friend of mine, my brother Mark Lopez. Shout out to him if he's gonna be watching this. Um, he's like, hey man, I'm going back to my hometown, Phoenix marathon, you wanna do it for your first one? I was like, nah, I have I really want to do Dallas. Right. So that was the story behind it. And then fast forward, October comes around, and everybody's talking about the Baltimore marathon, Baltimore Marathon, how hard it is, the hills, everything. Yeah. I'm like, damn, now Baltimore's in my head. The day before the marathon, I'm at a bar with my buddy Louie, who also ran it with me. Like, yo, bro, there's Baltimore dog coming up this weekend. You wanna do it? I'm like, yeah, what the hell, let's do it. We signed up the day before the marathon, bro. Went out there, so it wasn't Dallas, it wasn't Phoenix, it was Baltimore. Probably one of the hardest marathons you could do in my area. Crazy. That's crazy. So we went out there, we were at the bar to like one in the morning, drinking, just chugging them down, boom. We're already excited that we're going to Baltimore. And then the next day comes around to head over to Baltimore. We're hung over, driving to Baltimore. Yo, bro, you think we're doing the right thing? Gonna go around the marathon? I'm like, hey, we're already in the car. Ain't no turning back around now. That's right. So we get to Baltimore, and we banged it out. Sub four for me. How I did it, I don't know. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:14

Wow. Okay, so let's, okay, let's let's let's talk about it. Let's let's so you definitely, y'all was definitely, I don't even know if it was hungover is is is the word is the carbs. Right. So you get you get there, you um like take us to the morning before you started the race, as far as like y'all get there half drunk, like y'all see these crowds of people. Like, like, like, like, take me there for like what were you guys thinking at that moment?

SPEAKER_01 7:47

Well, he did the half. So we could we weren't at the same starting line. He did the half, I did the full, but I already knew what to do. I already knew like the whole, you know, how the race day goes and everything. Yeah. But I was still halfway drunk. My head was spinning. I took a jail like 15 in a gator eight, 15 minutes prior. Okay. So I'm I'm trying to get in my rhythm. I find um a uh a pace group, 345. I stuck with them the entire race. Uh after mile 13, I was good. I sweat all the alcohol out. I was I was cruising by by mile 13.

SPEAKER_00 8:22

Okay, okay. So, so as so my next question, that'd interrupt you, but my next question is the Mal20 moment. The the part of the race where everyone hits the wall and sort of these conversations in your head start popping up where it's like, why am I doing this? All of those things. Did you hit that? And what mile was it?

SPEAKER_01 8:45

I did.

SPEAKER_00 8:46

So check this one out. Check this one out.

SPEAKER_01 8:48

That marathon, I don't know if you ever ran it, but those that know will know that the marathon and the half marathon are at some point they merged together, which is at like mile, I can't remember what mile I don't want to guide to you guys, but um, they merged, right? So it was like mile 21. And I had not hit the wall yet, but I was tired. My legs started, you know, like feeling heavy. So I was like, I'm gonna take a quick break, you know, get a gel in, get some water in, and put my feet up. So I found this nice little tree to sit under and put my legs up on it. I was like, give me two, three minutes just to, you know, get rested. And that was the game plan that I had come up with as I was running. I was like, mile 20, or whenever I film, because I did hear that mile 20 was the hardest mile. So I was like, I'm gonna just put my feet up and relax for a little bit. As soon as I put my feet up, 30 seconds into me stopping, I don't know how my friend Louie, he sees me out of thousands of people running. Omar, get your ass up and keep running. I need a beer after this. So I'm like, damn, now you're putting me on the spot in front of everybody like around me. You got the helicopter, like recording everything. So I'm like, damn, now I gotta get up. So I get up, and he's like a little bit ahead of me now, so I catch up to him. Right.

SPEAKER_04 10:10

Right.

SPEAKER_01 10:11

And um, and yeah, that that that was the that was, I guess that was my wall where I had I needed that break, but I couldn't get it because my boy had me, you know. It was a little bit of like. Yeah, he called me out. So I was like, all right, we gotta get it in.

SPEAKER_00 10:25

Yeah, no, perfect. I read uh listen, I I did Chicago and my running partner Tina did the same for me, man. I was I was having a bad day. I was having a bad day. And uh it was mile like 24 or something like that. It was that same sort of moment where it was like she she ran the rest with me because I was I definitely was walking and stopping. I did not want to finish this race. So the been there. After the homie hype you up, he got you back going, you caught up on him. How did it feel to finally cross the finish line? Like you you guys did it at the spur of the moment, you know, last minute, the hardest marathon, be more, stand up. You finish the line. Well, how did it feel when you crossed the line?

SPEAKER_01 11:17

Man, I was I was demolished when I crossed that finish line, man. I'll tell you that. I won't say that it it was it wasn't easy. It was very hard, you know? Even because, man, right before that finish line, you got one more hill. And it's probably the biggest hill out the whole marathon. That point two is crazy. Yes, that point two will hit you harder than that mile 20. That point two is the hardest one.

SPEAKER_00 11:48

That's funny.

SPEAKER_01 11:49

But yeah, I was I was hurting after that marathon. Not terribly, because we went partying right after that that same night.

SPEAKER_00 11:57

Of course. Uh come on, listen, listen, I've definitely rock starred a lot of my marathons. We've I've Orlando, I did the Disney one. We took 10 shots after the marathon, which was crazy. Maniacs. Maniacs. Loved it, loved it. It was a rock star weekend. So let's talk about as far as after completing this marathon, how has that changed you as a person?

SPEAKER_01 12:22

Man, that's changed me in in so many ways, man. I I can't uh it's changed me in a way that, you know, when I set myself up, that now I actually believe in myself. If I set myself up to something, whether I'm hungover, whether I'm sick, I'm gonna go out there and get it. You know what I'm saying? So it's like uh before I always knew I had it in me to be able to, you know, work hard for whatever I want, but now I know that, you know what, this is 1% of the world has completed the marathon, you know. It's it's something meaningful to be able to finish. And it's changed me in a lot of ways, uh, discipline-wise as well. You know, if I say I'm gonna go out there and train, whether I'm sick or whether it's raining, or you know, that being hit the s the treadmill or whatever, it's just it takes it does a lot to you, man. It does. Especially if you really want it. You've gotta be hungry for it though. And this running thing, it's a great thing, but it it'll give you back what you put into it for sure. You know what I'm saying? You can't go and run a marathon with no training. You could if you're that type of, if you got that dog in you, but it's hard to, you know, it's hard to get out there and run those 26 miles without any prior training.

SPEAKER_00 13:37

I mean, listen, you're gonna be broken up at the end of it. I I I I always say, listen, anybody can run it, but how you feel afterwards is all due to your training. And also, like, like on the for me, and how I like in I've ran 14 thus far. I'm running Barcelona in March and then Sydney in August, so I'm excited about that. And hopefully Rio. So I I'm I'm I I got a full slate. Um, but every marathon, the training is different. Sometimes I've tr I'm I'm completely locked in, some I'm just I'm getting through it. And I always say to myself, the harder I train, the better the day will be. The better the day will be. Like if I stay locked in, it's gonna be a good day. If I if I'm just getting through the workouts, it's gonna I'm gonna be getting through the marathon. So it definitely relates to real life when it comes to any type of goals, personal, business, or otherwise. Um talk about um sort of what what has inspired you to continue now that this is your third marathon, like your second marathon. Did you finally run Dallas?

SPEAKER_01 14:50

Like did you let you now actually I don't even want to run it no more. I'm good. It was something personal I had with Dallas, but we're off that now. Oh, you don't want to go back there anymore.

SPEAKER_00 15:02

I'm over it. I'm over.

SPEAKER_01 15:05

I did Baltimore, Phoenix, and now Miami.

SPEAKER_00 15:09

Now Miami, man. Those are some good ones, brother. Um So my next question is there's some there's some runners that are watching, possibly listening as well, um, that are probably on the fence or in that, in that sort of process of their 5K, 10K, then have what would be your biggest tip to anyone on their first marathon?

SPEAKER_01 15:37

It it may sound cliche, man, Alan. I'll tell you, but just go out there and have fun. Do your thing. It's a race, but ultimately it's it's a race within your own self, not with anybody else. Unless you're an elite runner and you're running to get paid, you're you're only racing yourself, you know? You're racing all the hard work you put in, all those early mornings, late nights, you know, all those extra all those miles you did prior to that, that starting line, that's where you're racing right there. You're racing yourself, nobody else. Just go out there, enjoy it, and and do your thing. All the hard work you're already putting in. You know what I'm saying? So that's that's the only advice I can give them.

SPEAKER_00 16:16

Listen, nicely said, man. Um yeah, no, I think belief in having fun is the is the main thing. Like, that's what I always suggest to I've helped 15 people run their first marathon. And yeah, like don't don't try to PR your first one is always my one of my biggest tips. It's like, no, just have fun, complete it, enjoy the run. And I I just like to have my runners standing tall at the finish line. That's what matters to me. Stand tall at the finish line. Who cares about the time, man? As as you as the as the more you enjoy it, the more you'll push yourself. Like, like, like, like you, you'll get into it. Uh I'm I'm I'm going for a sub three in Barcelona. So yeah, yeah, I'm I'm conscious to get. Yeah, yeah, I'm going for it. I've I never PR'd prior to my last race. So I've always ran with people. So it was kind of cool to kind of just push it and and go for something. But um, but yeah, so let's let's go to this last segment of the uh of the pod, which is the knees out speed questions. Um the knees out coalition is my running crew. Uh shout out to the coalition, and um you answer with uh knees out meaning yes, and knees in meaning no. Um so here are the questions. During training, did you ever think about quitting but still showed up for yourself?

SPEAKER_02 17:44

Knees out is yes, right. Knees out. All right, all right. Do you believe everyone has at least one marathon in them?

SPEAKER_01 17:56

Knees out.

SPEAKER_02 17:58

Okay, all right. Is the marathon more mental or physical?

SPEAKER_01 18:06

I would say you of course you can elaborate that one I'm gonna have to go with 50-50, but it's gotta be 100% of both physical and mental. You gotta be 100% both physically and mentally. You know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_02 18:21

Yeah, yeah, no, that's beautiful.

SPEAKER_00 18:23

Um you gotta be like several marathons. Since you ran several marathons, would you run an ultra?

SPEAKER_01 18:38

Yes, that's actually uh that's actually something that um that I'm I'm working on and it it's in the works, but yes.

SPEAKER_00 18:47

Uh yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. And lastly, do you think running changes a person beyond the mouth?

SPEAKER_04 18:58

Oh absolutely. Absolutely. It does. Running will change you, you know.

SPEAKER_01 19:07

Running has uh gave me friends, community, grounding, something that will, you know, hold me, hold me down. Um, like I said, it was I was going through a hard time when I was in Dallas, and uh it gave it gave me a little bit of everything that I was looking for. I am one. Yeah. It's a sport that I would recommend to anybody and everybody for sure.

SPEAKER_00 19:30

Beautiful, brother. Beautiful brother. Well, listen, man, everyone out there, please follow and subscribe. It's another dope episode of Mal20 Mindset. Peace, y'all.