By Lincoln Shryack

Don’t call it a comeback. Andrew Wheating and German Fernandez have been here for years. These aren’t the actual lyrics to an LL Cool J song, but you get the picture: Wheating and Fernandez will both be at the Portland Track Festival.

While it has been awhile since we’ve seen either compete on a consistent basis, each have resumes that precede them. Wheating will open with the 1,500-meters, the same event which he ran 3:30 four years ago in Monaco. Once called the “Next Great American Miler,” he has struggled to complete his last few seasons, suffering setback after setback. Fernandez has also endured a bumpy ride over the last two years since he finished up at Oklahoma State. It’s been 5 years since he ran 13:25 as an18-year-old, and in the time since then Fernandez has not run faster in the 5K, the same event he will run this Sunday. 

While the accomplishments of Wheating and Fernandez could fill a room, it’s their setbacks that have made headlines. An injured Wheating hit “rock bottom” when he finished last in the 1,500-meter final at the 2013 U.S. Champs. That race left a scar on Wheating’s psyche and as Coach Mark Rowland put it “that’s a natural scenario for a really talented individual. They have their demons.” With Fernandez, he has yet to make any noise since he turned pro. Even in a non-Olympic year, it’s important that Fernandez has a good season to prove he’s healthy and build on his talent. His teammates have all improved dramatically under Schumacher, and his struggles have been an anomaly. A solid race this weekend can push his career in the right 

The next race is always the most important one for runners. When Wheating and Fernandez open this weekend in Portland, their mindsets cannot be any different. Their confidence depends on it.

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