Bryan Cole / The Collegian
Former Bulldog Chris Berrian is hoping to finally break out in professional track
Chris Berrian isn̢۪t the typical track star.
He has no sponsors, he works at Famous Dave’s, and, until recently, he didn’t even have an agent.
His constant battle to prove to the world that he is a high-caliber 200-meter runner has been nothing short of a struggle.
“I have always known I could do this,â€Â said Berrian. “It’s always just been a matter of actually doing it.â€Â
Currently, Berrian holds the world̢۪s second fastest 200-meter time for the 2009 indoor season.
In a recent trip to France, he posted the world̢۪s current third best time of 20.68.
The following weekend, on Feb. 13, he ran a 20.67 to rank as the world̢۪s second fastest time. Berrian̢۪s times rank behind Greg Nixon, who ran a 20.65 to beat Berrian in Eaubonne, France.
While the marks are impressive for indoor, there are still many world-class athletes — such as Usain Bolt, a triple-gold winner at the 2008 Olympics, and Shawn Crawford — that will most likely not even compete in the indoor track season.
Yet, despite the lack of competition, Berrian̢۪s marks still place him in good standings heading into the outdoor season.
In the 2008 outdoor track season, he ran a personal best of 20.24 to rank as No. 12 in the world. His goal is to run under 20 seconds this season.
“Outdoor track is more important than indoor,â€Â said Berrian. “That type of ranking makes me feel very good, but I think I’m capable of being top 10 in the world for outdoor.â€Â
From walk-on to world-class
The road to becoming a professional athlete hasn̢۪t always been that easy for Berrian, however.
He ran sprints for three years in high school and his father Joseph encouraged him to walk on and join his brother Bernard Berrian at Fresno State.
So, Berrian came to Fresno State and has since become one of the best runners to ever be a Bulldog.
In finishing his collegiate career with a personal best of 20.84, which he ran at the 2005 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Berrian knew that he wanted to continue to run and make a career doing what he loved.
He began training on his own in the mornings so he could work in the afternoons, and that̢۪s when he met Chris Baptista.
The spring of 2005, Baptista was hired as the new sprint coach for the Bulldogs and knew little of Berrian̢۪s history.
Berrian started asking Baptista, who was training some of his own athletes in the mornings, for advice or for help with timing. Soon after, Baptista was at every practice with Berrian and has since become his coach.
“When I first met Chris I didn’t know much of his history and wasn’t even sure what he was capable of,â€Â said Baptista. “After about four to five months, I began to realize he could be top 10 in the world.â€Â
Sponsorless
In becoming a world-class athlete, Berrian has been frustrated in still not having a sponsor, despite his premier marks.
“I hate it,â€Â said Berrian. “I see people out there and I’m like, ‘I’ve beat him every time and he’s making money and not having to work and I am.’â€Â
Baptista said that having a sponsor is a huge plus for a track athlete, because they are able to focus on training. He believes that once Berrian obtains a sponsor, “it will help him accelerate to his goals.â€Â
While he doesn̢۪t have guaranteed money and must rely on 20 hours a week at Famous Dave̢۪s and prize money from competitions to survive, he has recently signed with agent Jeff Hartwig, a former world-class pole-vaulter.
Olympic dream cut short in ’08
And although things have been hard, Berrian̢۪s goals have remained the same: the Olympics.
This past summer he made it to the Olympic trials and past the preliminaries, but when it came to the last day of competition he was unable to run.
Berrian had aggravated his hamstring and knee a few weeks prior to the trials and after barely being able to warm-up, he was forced to withdraw from the competition.
“I was pretty pissed,â€Â said Berrian. “I really just didn’t want to talk to anyone.â€Â
While he has to wait until 2012 to try for the next summer games, he is hoping to compete well at the World Championships in Berlin.
“Just being able to make it there goes to show the type of athlete you are,â€Â said Berrian.
Until the championships in August he will continue to train with Baptista and work to survive like every other person in the dwindling economy.
“We’ve been working together for a while now and for someone to be able to work through the down times and still have that passion to run, that’s just amazing,â€Â said Baptista.