German Silva – The Wrong Way to the Top
Article by Tait Hearps of Sweat Elite
A major chunk of running history and culture of which I was completely oblivious until last year was the dominance of Mexican athletes on the roads throughout the 1990s. On a run through a valley near Sululta, on the outskirts of Addis Ababa, Knox Robinson regaled us with stories from that period: the athletes who were so dominant, their successes and their missteps. As well as what he experienced during his time spent there, learning from some of the most colourful characters in running.
One such character that kept popping up was German Silva.
Delving into some research on the topic, I was fascinated. A beautiful article in the New York Times depicted a committed group of elite athletes living in austerity and tackling some alarmingly tough conditions, training at altitudes well above what most elite runners would deem productive as they ascended into the crater of the 4680m volcano, Nevado de Toluca .
This training clearly served German well, seeing him compete in two Olympics, and take out the New York Marathon twice (1994,1995). With his first victory he really made a name for himself, however this was done in a very unorthodox manner.
With under a mile remaining, Silva was running stride for stride with co-leader and training partner Benjamin Paredes. Sharing drinks right through to the final stages of the race, the pair had worked together to develop quite a lead, now Silva was planning his attack. As the pair ran through Central Park, the camera car veered right, pulling off the course. Silva followed, Paredes pounced.
Silva calmly turned around when he realised his mistake, mustering the strength to regain the pace he had been setting, and set about reeling in the twelve second handicap he had just given himself. Silva looks to be imperturbable. The really impressive thing about the footage of this would-be disaster is the way Silva doesn’t panic. He takes his time and it is only with 100m or so remaining that he passes Paredes and surges to victory. Watch the video, it’s great. This win changed a lot of things for German, it also earned him the moniker ‘Wrong Way Silva’.
German’s impressive list of accolades and achievements includes:
- Winner New York City Marathon 1994, 1995
- 2nd in Half Marathon World Championships, Oslo – 1994 (60:28 a Mexican record that still stands)
- 6th place 10,000m Olympic Games Barcelona (1992)
- 6th place Marathon Olympic Games Atlanta (1992)
- 2:08:56 Marathon personal best set in Boston 1998
- Induction into the New York Road Runners Hall of Fame
Speaking to German was an absolute privilege, it was fascinating to hear all about the ways running has played such a big role in his life. It took him from poverty in rural Mexico to the highest of highs. In our conversation, German said that the wrong turn in Central Park was the best mistake he could have made. Bringing him notoriety, and giving him a platform from which he has managed to give back to his roots.
You can listen to the conversation with German on the Sweat Elite Podcast (Episode #32) – available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and Stitcher.
German is still involved in running in Mexico, training runners as a coach, operating a training camp near the base of that same volcano where he honed his craft and ability to push through pain, and raising awareness about the history and culture of the Tarahumara, helping to conserve their running traditions. He still runs a lot in the mountains and competes in ultra-trail races.
In our conversation we cover:
- German’s journey into athletics as a young boy growing up in rural Mexico
- Early racing (running his debut marathon in preparation for a 10,000m)
- Many anecdotes from his time as a junior
- Transitioning to the marathon distance
- Wrong Way! How this mistake changed his career
- Dealing with other mishaps, what went wrong before the Atlanta Olympic Marathon
- Training at very high altitude, including on 4680m Nevado de Toluca
- Training sessions he used to run
- How he manipulated altitude to prepare for different races
- The conditions he and his training partners used to train in
- Why Mexicans were so much more dominant on the roads then than they are now
All this and much more. German is charismatic and eloquent; he happily divulged many great insights into his career and life. Hopefully we will again have the chance to sit down with German sometime in the future, to go deeper into the wealth of accumulated wisdom he has to share.
