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Following a… hare, for 1 hour and 45 minutes
Sarantaris, a family man with three children and a very demanding office job, which requires endless hours at the office and frequent trips. Running came into his life about five years ago. He found it refreshing. He quickly swallowed the first kilometers, became a regular runner and two years ago ran his first marathon. Now running is an integral part not of his life, but of his daily life, having discovered aspects and details that previously he could not imagine that occupy an amateur runner.
«For an amateur runner it is a big deal and a huge challenge to run 42 kilometers and 195 days "says Stakis Christodoulou, who in the last OPAP Limassol Marathon chose to compete in the Half Marathon, seeking a new personal record in the distance of 21,097.5 meters.
" I found him at the start "
" I had achieved a new personal record two weeks ago, but I felt that I was in very good condition and I thought I could download more of my time "he explains and adds:" with what I found at the starting line I saw the 'hare' in front of me. The sign was clear that he would run at the pace I wanted (1 hour and 45 minutes in the Half Marathon). I trusted him, without thinking about it. It was the first time I would follow a pacemaker , as the internationally known hares are called, but I had seen them in other races work and I believed that if I had support and guidance I could run in time which I wanted ».
The strategy of an amateur runner is influenced by many parameters and changes easily. The delay or overcrowding that may be at the start or at the water supply points, the weather conditions, the fatigue from the trainings, any mistakes in the diet in the previous days, but also the psychology. "If you have someone who will help you keep a steady pace, who is everything in our effort, but will also encourage you, you can succeed. If you run alone and get tired, you say 'it doesn't matter, next time'. This one was very good. He was constantly looking at the clock, he was telling us how close we are, I felt him next to me, I felt safe that I would not 'burn', I would not be left with strength "notes Stakis, who fights with the colors of Dro.Me.A Racing , one of the biggest clubs in Cyprus He emphasizes that" halfway, when I was a little ahead of the 'hare', I got a big dose of confidence and now I believed that I would succeed ".
With the help of the" hare ", Stakis finished in 1 hour 43 minutes and 12 seconds, a time improved by five whole minutes from the individual record he had achieved two weeks ago.
But what can a runner think at all this distance? "Difference. Positives and negatives. The important thing is to think positively, your strategy and what you can achieve. If you have negative thoughts and the fear that you will not finish, the whole race will be ruined ".
Πετυχημένη καινοτομία οι pacemakers
Ο θεσμός των pacemakers (hares) was introduced this year by the OPAP Limassol Marathon. Sixteen runners from abroad ran at different speeds in the Marathon and the Half Marathon helping dozens of runners to achieve individual performance.The next OPAP Limassol Marathon will be held March 23-24, 2019. Registration with a 40% discount at www . limassolmarathon . com .
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