Rolando Patricio Vera Rodas (born April 27, 1965 in

Cuenca Cuenca may refer to: People * Cuenca (surname) Places Ecuador * Cuenca Canton, in the Azuay Province ** Cuenca, Ecuador, capital of Cuenca Canton and Azuay Province ** Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cuenca Peru * Cuenca District, Huarochirí ...

Azuay Azuay (, ), Province of Azuay is a province of Ecuador, created on 25 June 1824. It encompasses an area of . Its capital and largest city is Cuenca. It is located in the south center of Ecuador in the highlands. Its mountains reach above sea le ...

) is a retired

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires stamina as well as mental strength. Within endurance ru ...

from

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

, who represented his native country at three consecutive

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, then part of the King ...

, starting in 1988. He reached the top ten of the

10,000 metres The 10,000 metres or the 10,000-metre run is a common long-distance track running event. The event is part of the athletics programme at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships, and is common at championship-level events. The ...

at the

1987 World Championships in Athletics The 2nd World Championships in Athletics under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations were held in the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy between August 28 and September 6, 1987. Men's results Track 1983 , 1987 , ...

. He enjoyed much championship success at the regional level: he was a two-time South American Champion on the track and won

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have b ...

s at the

South American Games The South American Games (also known as ODESUR Games; Spanish: ''Juegos Suramericanos''; Portuguese: ''Jogos Sul-Americanos''), formerly the Southern Cross Games (Spanish: ''Juegos Cruz del Sur'') is a regional multi-sport event held between nat ...

and

Bolivarian Games The Bolivarian Games (Spanish: ''Juegos Bolivarianos'', full name ''Juegos Deportivos Bolivarianos'') are a regional multi-sport event held in honor of Simón Bolívar, and organized by the Bolivarian Sports Organization (''Organización Deporti ...

, as well as reaching the podium at the

Ibero-American Championships The Ibero-American Championships in Athletics (Spanish: ''Campeonato Iberoamericano de Atletismo'') is a biennial athletics competition for athletes representing Ibero-American countries as well as a number of other Spanish- or Portuguese-spea ...

and the

1987 Pan American Games The 1987 Pan American Games, officially known as the X Pan American Games, was a major international multi-sport event held in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, on August 7–23, 1987. Over 4,300 athletes from 38 countries in the Americas ...

. He won

road running Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road. This differs from track and field on a regular track and cross country running over natural terrain. These events are usually classified as long-distance ru ...

competitions on four continents and was tenth at the 1994 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships. Vera won the

Saint Silvester Road Race The Saint Silvester Road Race () is a long-distance running event, the oldest and most prestigious street race in Brazil. Regarded as the main international event in Latin American athletics, the Brazilian competition is held yearly in the cit ...

four times consecutively in the 1980s. In 1995 he won both the

Los Angeles Marathon The Los Angeles Marathon (formerly known as the City of Los Angeles Marathon) is an annual running event typically held each spring in Los Angeles, California, since 1986. The marathon was inspired by the success of the 1984 Summer Olympic Ga ...

and the

Chuncheon Marathon The Chuncheon International Marathon () is an annual marathon race which is held in late October in the city of Chuncheon, South Korea. First held in 1946, it is the second oldest marathon in the country after the Seoul International Marathon. Spo ...

, and he won the

Beppu-Ōita Marathon The is an annual men's marathon race that takes place every February between the cities of Beppu and Ōita, Ōita, Ōita on the island of Kyushu in Japan. The race has IAAF Silver Label Road Race status and is a listed course of AIMS (Associati ...

two years later. At Olympic level he competed in the

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...

on two occasions (1992 and 1996). He remains the Ecuadorian record holder over 20 km and the

half marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish, or shortcu ...

. His personal best in the marathon is 2:10:46 – a time which brought him third at the 1990

Boston Marathon The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by eight cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was ins ...

Career

Early competition

He began his career on the track and was fourth over

5000 metres The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to or . It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over laps of a sta ...

in 14:24.16 at the 1984

Pan American Junior Championships The Pan American U20 Athletics Championships are a biennial sports event for track and field organized by the Association of Panamerican Athletics (APA) open for junior (U20) athletes from member and associate member associations. They were first h ...

. He also took part in the 2000 m

steeplechase SteepleChase Records is a jazz record company and label based in Copenhagen, Denmark. SteepleChase was founded in 1972 by Nils Winther, who was a student at Copenhagen University at the time. He began recording concerts at Jazzhus Montmartre, ...

, where he finished in sixth. Taking part in the regional competition at the

1986 South American Games The III South American Games (Spanish: ''Juegos Sudamericanos''; Portuguese: ''Jogos Sul-Americanos'') were a multi-sport event held in 1986 in Santiago, Chile, with some events in Concepción and Viña del Mar. The Games were organized by the S ...

, he beat the field (which included continental champion

Emilio Ulloa Emilio José Ulloa Valenzuela (born October 22, 1954) is a retired male steeplechase runner from Chile. Career He represented his native country in the 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the ...

) to win in 28:53.90. His first major senior medal came when he took the

bronze medal A bronze medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of bronze awarded to the third-place finisher of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The outright winner receives ...

at the 1986 Ibero-American Championships.Ibero American Championships
GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2010-09-23. He also won the

that year – a competition he won four times consecutively up to 1989. Other road victories over this period included the Cherry Creek Sneak 5 Mile in 1986, the Cascade Run Off in 1987, and the

Bolder Boulder The Bolder Boulder (styled as BOLDERBoulder and previously BolderBOULDER) is an annual 10-kilometer run in Boulder, Colorado. The 2007 race featured over 54,000 runners, walkers, and wheelchair racers, making it the second largest 10k race in the ...

race in 1989. At the 1987 South American Championships in Athletics he won the 5000 m

and a

silver medal A silver medal, in sports and other similar areas involving competition, is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, ...

in the 10,000 m. Out on the road that year, he took victory at the seven-mile

Falmouth Road Race The Falmouth Road Race is an annual road race on Cape Cod from Woods Hole, a village in the town of Falmouth, Massachusetts, to Falmouth Heights. The race organizer is Falmouth Road Race, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization that puts on the race ea ...

. A second silver of the season at the

(behind Bruce Bickford) preceded his global debut at the

, where he finished in tenth and was the only South American athlete in the race. His time of 28:20.24 was also a record for a South American under-23 athlete. At the 1988 Bolder Boulder he won the 10k with a time of 29:07.

Rosa Mota Rosa Maria Correia dos Santos Mota, GCIH, GCM (; born 29 June 1958) is a Portuguese former marathon runner, one of her country's foremost athletes, being the first sportswoman from Portugal to win Olympic gold. Mota was the first woman to win ...

won the women's 10k that year.

Olympic debut

Vera made his Olympic debut at the

1988 Seoul Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and officially branded as Seoul 1988 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 17 September to 2 October 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. 159 nations were repres ...

and reached the final of the 10,000 m, finishing in 15th place.Rolando Vera
Sports-reference. Retrieved on 2010-09-23. He topped the podium in the men's 10,000 m at the

1989 South American Championships in Athletics The 1989 South American Championships in Athletics were held in Medellín, Colombia, between 5 and 8 August. It was the first edition to feature women's racewalking. Medal summary Men's events Women's events A = affected by altitude Medal ...

, winning his first continental title. He doubled up at the

1989 Bolivarian Games The XI Bolivarian Games (Spanish: ''Juegos Bolivarianos'') were a multi-sport event held between January 14–25, 1989, in Maracaibo, Venezuela. The Games were organized by the Bolivarian Sports Organization ( ODEBO). The opening ceremony took pla ...

and won the 10,000 m as well as taking silver in the 5000 m behind Peru's José Castillo.Bolivarian Games
GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2010-09-23. Vera ran at the

in April 1990 and finished in third place with a personal best time of 2:10:46. A month later he competed in the inaugural Trib 10K race in

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

and, although still tired from his efforts in Boston, he won the race in an Ecuadorian record time of 28:08 minutes. In 1991, he was the winner of the Philadelphia Distance Run. His third appearance on the global stage came at the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics (, ), officially the Games of the XXV Olympiad (, ) and officially branded as Barcelona '92, were an international multi-sport event held from 25 July to 9 August 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Beginning in 1994 ...

and he moved off the track and up to the

distance. He finished in 43rd place, although this was the second best performance by a South American after

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

's Osmiro Silva. He also won a bronze over 10,000 m at the 1992 Ibero-American Championships, repeating his performance of four years earlier. The following year Vera retained his 10,000 m title at the

1993 Bolivarian Games The XII Bolivarian Games (Spanish: ''Juegos Bolivarianos'') were a multi-sport event held between April 24 - May 2, 1993, in Cochabamba and Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. The Games were organized by the Bolivarian Sports Organization ( ODEBO) ...

. In 1994, he won the

Parelloop Parelloop (''Pearl Run'' in English) is an annual 10 kilometres road running competition usually held in late March or early April in Brunssum, Netherlands. The inaugural edition was held in 1989. In 2009, Micah Kogo broke the List of world record ...

10 km race in

the Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

and went on to finish tenth at the 1994 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

later that year – setting a national record mark of 1:01:36 for the

distance. On the circuit that year he also won at the Marvejols-Mende in France.

Los Angeles winner

He began 1995 with a win at the San Blas Half Marathon in

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

, and continued his winning ways at the

where he ran a very tactical race, which was held in poor weather conditions. Vera's outright refusal to take his turn at the front of the leading pack (and thus bear his share of the wind and rain) angered the reigning marathon world champion

Mark Plaatjes Mark Plaatjes (born 2 June 1962 in Johannesburg) is a former marathon runner who was champion at the 1993 World Championships in Athletics in Stuttgart. Biography Born in South Africa under apartheid, Plaatjes won two national titles at the m ...

. After 20 miles, Vera tucked in behind the only remaining leader Bob Kempainen and defied Kempainen's attempts to shake him off – following his zig-zag movements across the road. Finally taking the lead in the final stages, Vera enjoyed a tailwind and won the race in 2:11:39 (twenty seconds ahead of the other runners). Kempainen later commented: "I kept trying to get him out front to take the lead, but I couldn't very well turn around and ask him to do it...I guess he ran it smart". He also went on to win at the

that year. He enjoyed success over the 20 km distance, winning at the Ogden Newspapers 20K in 1995 and the following year. Vera's final Olympic appearance was at the 1996 Atlanta Games and he was ranked 22nd in the men's Olympic marathon race. He won the

in 1997 with a time of 2:12:00.Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon
ARRS (2009-12-24). Retrieved on 2010-09-23.

International competitions

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vera, Rolando 1965 births Living people Sportspeople from Cuenca, Ecuador Ecuadorian male long-distance runners Ecuadorian male marathon runners Ecuadorian male steeplechase runners Olympic athletes for Ecuador Athletes (track and field) at the 1988 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1992 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1996 Summer Olympics Pan American Games silver medalists for Ecuador Pan American Games athletes for Ecuador Pan American Games silver medalists in athletics (track and field) Athletes (track and field) at the 1987 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1995 Pan American Games World Athletics Championships athletes for Ecuador South American Games gold medalists for Ecuador South American Games silver medalists for Ecuador South American Games medalists in athletics Competitors at the 1986 South American Games Competitors at the 1986 Goodwill Games Medalists at the 1987 Pan American Games Bolivarian Games gold medalists for Ecuador Bolivarian Games medalists in athletics Bolivarian Games silver medalists for Ecuador