Imagine throwing a perfect game the first time you ever pitched, breaking the single-game rushing or passing record during your first start, or bowling a perfect 300 the first time you visited a bowling alley.
San Quentin Rehabilitation Center resident Jose Fajardo, a member of the 1000 Mile Club, did essentially that the first time he ever participated in the San Quentin Marathon last year. Fajardo broke a record that was thought to be insurmountable when he beat Markelle “The Gazelle” Taylor’s marathon record of 3 hours and 16 minutes in the prison’s 105-lap marathon.
Fajardo credited the “coaches and runners (who) put pressure and inspired me to leave it all out on the track that day.”
The 44-year-old Fajardo is known as a floater because when he runs he looks like he’s running on clouds as he listens to music.
“Music puts me at ease and although I don’t dance, my running is my dancing to the music,” Fajardo said.
Fajardo used the track club’s rigorous training schedule to help him dance into the record books for its marquee event.
He said he started with three-mile runs in January, increasing every month to gain the endurance to run the half-marathon and the two- and three-hour runs. Fajardo has continued to thrive this year: He just missed breaking Taylor’s record in the half-marathon, winning in a time of 1:18:58, just 69 seconds off Taylor’s mark.
The record-setting marathoner credits recently released Tommy Wickerd for discovering his talents. Fajardo said he met Wickerd in 2022 and was invited to join the 1,000 Mile Club.
“To me [running] is an escape from what I’ve been thinking or doing during the week,” Fajardo said. “I also use the time to plan what I’m doing later in the week. Running also helps me sleep better.”
Residents describe Fajardo as humble, and they cite his work in programs such as Light Keeper and Restorative Justice.
Fajardo believes sports programs are self-help that teach hard work, discipline, community engagement, communication, and health.
“Those skills are not only used in SQRC, but they are transferable out in society,” he said. “The choices I made and behaviors that I’ve made in the past can’t change, but today I’m able to wake up every morning and live for that day.”
As a successful resident who loves being challenged to grow, Fajardo also loves being challenged on the track — although few can stay up with him.
“I do enjoy when I’m running out on the track and a runner challenges me and runs alongside me as we start sprinting,” Fajardo said. “There’s a rush of adrenaline for that period until either one of us slows down.”
Taylor has made a career of running since his release. Fajardo said it’s irrelevant whether he follows suit and no one can take away his “most vivid memory of winning my first marathon race.”
Fajardo encourages anyone interested in the 1,000 Mile Club to come out on a Monday night and practice. He said it’s never too late to make running a part of your daily priorities.
When he started eight years ago at age 36, Fajardo couldn’t run more than 10 laps. Now, he’s a record-setter.
“It begins with one lap at a time,” said Fajardo.