Olympic limit for four 400 euro
Our best long distance runner KATARÍNA BEREŠOVÁ is preparing in a most decent conditions.
If you were to offer anywhere in the world athlete 300 or 400 euro per year and said to them, that this is the money he receives for all the neceresy praparation he needs to qualify to the OLYMPIC GAMES with probabilty bordering on certainty they would laugh into your face, knocked on their forehead and asked if you are completely out of your mind. But in Slovakia everything is possible. From a 400 euro state supprot she manager to fulfil criteria to go to London Olympic Games. She fulfiled the criteria not in any discipline of the wide variety of athletic disciplines, but in the longest of them all in marathon.
Katarína Berešova who on sunday 30th of October managed on Frankfurt marathon to run in time 2:39:11 which was B – limit for qualification to the Olympic games 2012 in London. Over whole year 2011 she received from state sources 400 euro. Year before that even less, only 300 euro.
We are helping ourselves as well as we can. Katka´s conditions can not be named differently than amateur like, said Katkin´s trainer Gabriel Valiska. We are always looking for the cheapest solutions, because not only that there are no money to spare, but there are not even money to secure basic needs. Currently although we have managed to fulfill the Olympic limit, we are not sure whether we will get the money needed for good preparation.
We looked with Katka´s coach on what she had available for preparation this year. For the 400 euro from state sources( national sports center) she had one 21 days long training camp in High Tatras – Štrbské Pleso. Of course she was forced to look for the cheapest accommodations to be in the 400 euro limit. During Easter holidays her club TJ Obalservis Košice paid for a short 3 day training camp 70 euro, and during preparation for International Peace Marathon in Košice paid 800 euro.
Finally she had a more confortable conditions and a full pension. But even than it was not ideal. She didn´t have massager or access to hotel facilities such as sauna (only available if enough people wanted to go at any given day). After marathon in Košice and before Frankfurt marathon club paid for one more 3 day long minicamp in High Tatras. This also was well beneath 70 euro.
Twenty-four year old long distance runner, university student is helping her club TJ Obaservis every month 100 euro to pay for basic needs associated with her school. 2 -3 times a year she is given an ion drink, and has arranged massages in a specialized facility by Pavol Madar. All necessary running equipment is from her only sponsor ASICS in amount about 800 euro per year. Minerals and vitamins needed for body exposed to such hard training conditions are provided to her by her trainer Gabriel Valiska who happens to be a doctor at the same time. All together her expenses per year are about 4000 euro from which stat help by amount of about 10 %.
My preparation for Olympic limit took part in a very decent conditions, with minimal finances available. I believe that the situation will change and for the first time I will be able to go to a training camp abroad somewhere to the warm climate. Believes Katka. To prepair for marathon in belove zero temperatures on snow and ice is not an option any more. It´s dangerous .
BEREŠOVEJ EXPENCES FOR TRAINING IN YEAR 2011
3-WEEK TRAINING CAMP (ŠT. PLESO)400 EURO
3-DAY TRAINING CAMP 70 EURO
3-WEEK TRAINING CAMP (ŠT. PLESO – FIS)800 EURO
3-DAY TRAINING CAMP 70 EUR
RUNNING EQUIPMENT 800 EUR
CLUB 100 EURO PER MONTH