Meet Special Olympic Guatemala's Eduardo Herrera Eduardo Jose Rodríguez Herrera has been a Special Olympics Guatemala athlete since 1987. His Special Olympics sports are aquatics, cycling and athletics, and he combines his swimming, biking and running skills to compete in triathlons, one of the most physically demanding competitions for any athlete. His talent and dedication are such that he is considered one of Guatemala's top triathlete competitors overall. Eduardo Herrera emerges from the ocean after his 2.4 mile swim while competing in the most famous of the "Ironman" Triathlons, in Kona, Hawaii. For more Special Olympics athlete profiles, please visit Meet our Athletes. He has competed in more than a dozen Special Olympics Guatemala National Games and in three Special Olympics World Games, the most recent in 2003 in Dublin, Ireland — competing in aquatics, he won a gold medal in the 800 meters and a bronze in the 1500 meters. When he returned home he was honored by the Mayor of Guatemala City for his participation. On 19 September 2004, Herrera was one of nine Special Olympics athletes who swam the 6th annual RCP Tiburon Mile, a one nautical mile (1,852 meters; approximately 2,000 yards) trek in the 62 degree waters from Angel Island to the town of Tiburon, near San Francisco, California (USA). The Special Olympics athletes were nine of the 700 swimmers — including Olympic and world-class elite athletes and open water specialists — to test themselves in the internationally known race. With triathlons, talent in the form of speed, strength and endurance plays a vital role, but strategy is a critical factor because no matter what distance the course is set for, each race differs. Herrera competes with the best athletes in the world, finishing ahead of many, and has demonstrated that with drive and dedication, there are no limits to what can be achieved. Bill Price, founding partner of Texas Pacific, not only raised more than US$150,000 for that year's event, but he generously flew in Special Olympics athletes from around the world to compete amongst the likes of Olympic athletes Brooke Bennett, Chad Carvin, and Klete Keller. "I think it helps fight prejudice against people by demonstrating in a very tangible way what these young people can achieve with training and hard work," said Price, who is himself a competitive swimmer and is a two-time winner of the Tiburon Mile Mayor's Cup. "I am particularly inspired by the endurance athletes, such as those who swim the Tiburon mile, because of the long-term dedication to training and overcoming of physical and mental obstacles — which are daunting even to those without disabilities." RCP Tiburon Mile competitors: Eduardo Herrera, back row, center, is pictured with Special Olympics athletes Fahd El Kader El Khaial (front row, left) and Andy Miyares; back row, second from left, Ancil Greene, Herrera, Kester Edwards and Wie Yip Tam. They are joined in front of San Francisco's famous Golden Gate bridge by Special Olympics Egypt coach Reda Mohamed Ahmed Abou Zeid (back row, far left). Over Herrera's many years of Program participation he has often been honored with carrying the Special Olympics flag or the flag of his country, or to carry the “Flame of Hope” and light the cauldron during Opening Ceremonies of the Guatemala National Games. Herrera's athletic abilities have taken him far beyond the borders of his country. He has competed internationally (USA, Spain, New Zealand, Germany, Mexico, Brazil, Costa Rica, Honduras, Columbia, and El Salvador) in competition: 11 “ironman” triathlons (2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile run), most recently (2004) in Nagaski, Japan; 8 half-ironman triathlons (1.2 mile swim, 56-mile bike ride, and a 13.1-mile run) as well as competing in triathlon's international standard (and the format used at the Triathlon World Championship and the Olympics), the 1.5K swim, 40K bike, and 10K run. His best time in an “ironman” competition is 11 hours 52 minutes at the 2000 Ironman Triathlon in Porto Seguro, Brazil. Herrera finished first in the 20-24 years old category in 1997's Half Ironman Triathlon in San Carlos, Costa Rica. He has been recognized globally for his efforts: in addition to many newspaper, magazine and Internet articles and profiles, Herrera was named “Sportsman of the Year” in 1996 by the Guatemala National Triathlon Federation. In 1999 he was given the silver cup in the VI Dualthlon of San Juan de la Abadesa, Barcelona, Spain for his athletic achievements. The Lanzarote Triathlon garnered him two recognitions: from the organziers with a “Special Trophy of Ironman 1999,” and by the Cabildo Insular of Lanzarote, with the “Gold Crab” button for having finished the most difficult Ironman course in the world. Special Olympics Guatemala athlete Eduardo Herrera pushes off in the pool during a practice clinic held the day before the RCP Tiburon Mile. Olympic gold medalist Brooke Bennett and fellow Olympic swimmers including Klete Keller Kalyn Keller, Erica Rose, Sara McLartry and Grant Cleland held a clinic to work with the nine Special Olympics athletes who participated in the prestigious open-water swim. [Photo by Steven Hellon] The Suger Montano College in Guatemala City, Guatemala published a study ¿What is Special Olympics? and in the acknowledgements, students wrote “We dedicate this study especially to Eduardo Jose Rodríguez Herrera, because he is a living example for all of us to follow — ‘keep on going.'” One unique aspect to triathlons is that, no matter what distance the course is set for, each race differs. Talent in the form of speed, strength and endurance of course plays a vital role, but strategy becomes an all-important factor with so many variables in play. Herrera competes with the best athletes in the world, finishing ahead of many, and has demonstrated that with drive and dedication, there are no limits to what can be achieved. Return to main Celebrating Growth page