Most college distance runners spend their first two years after high school logging mileage, dropping times and chasing conference qualifying marks. Ben Hernandez spent his walking the streets of Mexico City.
The 21-year-old Philomath High Class of 2023 graduate has returned to competitive running at Western Oregon University after a two-year mission through the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — and he’s already turning a layoff into a learning curve.
Missionaries voluntarily leave their homes to share the gospel and serve communities. For Hernandez, that meant Mexico City — and pretty much no running…