Iván Fernández Anaya was born on 10 June 1988 in Vitoria, Spain, and runs long-distance events for Spain, mostly cross-country and the marathon. In 2012 he was training in Vitoria’s Prado Park under Martín Fiz, the European marathon champion of 1994 and world champion of 1995.
He became known around the world in January 2013, when a video spread of him guiding Abel Mutai to the finish line of a race in Burlada rather than overtaking him. He went on to win bronze over 5,000 metres at the 2014 Ibero-American Championships and to run the marathon for Spain at the 2017 World Championships in London.