Ruben Sanca

“Who could forget Ruben Sanca?”

For coaches who worked with him and the countless student runners who have followed after him, nearly everyone at the John D. O’Bryant School in Roxbury knows the graduate who competed in the London Olympic games and who is a serious contender for the Rio games next summer.

“Back in the day, everyone wanted to be like him because his work ethic was unbelievable,” said Jose Ortega, one of Sanca’s track coaches at the O’Bryant. “I thought it was good enough but as he got older, he got stronger and faster.”

In an interview with the Reporter, Sanca, 28, laid out how his running while growing up in Dorchester helped lay the groundwork for what has shaped up to be an Olympian level experience.

Sanca was born in Cape Verde in 1986 and came to the United States in 1999 with his family, settling in Roxbury. In middle school, his parents bought a home in Codman Square where they still live – and where Sanca still occasionally trains today.

Ruben Sanca in high schoolWhile he was at the O’Bryant School, coaches persuaded Sanca, then a soccer player who casually ran races, to give his all to cross country and track and field. He was a natural.

Soon, Sanca started running “almost anything he could get his legs on,” Ortega said. “You should have seen him. Back in those days, he was flying.”

To train, Sanca said, he would run loops, beginning at his parents’ home in Codman Square, up Talbot Avenue, up Blue Hill Ave, and down Columbia Road. “I can’t tell you how many times I got made fun of for running in Dorchester. I literally had someone almost punch me for running. It was on Harvard Street, right off of Blue Hill Avenue.” He also relied on Franklin Park’s expansive network of paths and roadways as training grounds.

Sanca graduated from the O’Bryant in 2005, but he still holds the school’s records for the 4x4 relays set in 2004 and indoor mile and 1000 meters, both set in 2005. He went on to earn two degrees, including an MBA, from UMass Lowell, graduating in 2011 before preparing for the 2012 games.

Though he missed the podium in London’s 5,000 meter competition, he has been working hard to qualify for the 2016 Rio Games, where he hopes to compete in the marathon representing Cape Verde. In order to qualify, Sanca has to run a marathon (26.2 miles) in 2 hours and 18 minutes. “It was a lot of challenge to get from running one mile freshman year in 5 minutes and 12 seconds and now I’m trying to do the same thing for 26 miles,” he said.

In addition to preparing for the 2016 Rio games, Sanca is also working on helping to bring the 2024 summer games to Boston. Boston 2024’s backers hope that emphasis on homegrown athletes can help turn the tide in public support for the Olympic games.

“Ruben Sanca is a champion and Boston 2024 is proud to have his support. His story of growing up in Dorchester and dedicating his life to running is just one of the many inspiring tales that will energize Boston and the commonwealth as we build our historic Olympic and Paralympic bid,” said Boston 2024 CEO Rich Davey. “He and other athletes are key parts of our effort as we build a plan that will make the city, the nation, and the world proud.”

Sanca said the Boston games would open city kids’ eyes to the world of sports, something that he has witnessed running through towns along the Boston Marathon route.

“Bringing racing and the Olympic spirit to Boston would also be great for the kids that are 3 or 6 or 7, who really don’t know anything about the sport,” Sanca said. “When I would go for early morning runs, kids at bus stops would say things. Going running in Cambridge and Newton, that didn’t happen. It’s different because the marathon is right there.”