Mi tiempo final ha sido 3h 45′ 18», dos minutos menos que en la última maratón.
Las altísimas temperaturas de hoy en Barcelona (momentos de hasta 25ºC) y el hecho de que inexplicablemente me haya dejado el reloj en casa han hecho que hiciera 5 o 10 minutos más que el tiempo que me merecía. De todas formas, he hecho la mejor marca desde 1999 y además he ganado a Vicens (!!!).
He descubierto que no llevaba el reloj cuando sólo faltaba una hora para la salida. Ante unos instantes de pánico inicial y después de analizar todas las opciones, he decidido que la mejor alternativa era pegarme a la liebre de 3h30′ hasta que no pudiera más. Dado que mi tiempo objetivo eran 3h39′ y que suponía que en el peor caso, el ritmo de finalización no podía ser superior al ritmo de liebre más un minuto/km, debía conseguir ir con ella al menos hasta el km 33 (42-9) porqué a partir de ese momento lo lógico es que cayeran unos 6 y poco min./km. Finalmente he aguantado a la liebre hasta el km 28.
Dentro de unas horas estaré corriendo la Maratón de Barcelona. Mi tiempo objetivo son 3 horas y 39 minutos pero si me siento bien en los primeros kms, quizás acelere más. Mi tiempo final real debería estar entre 3:30 y 3:50.
El próximo 29 de Junio de 2008, el Club Athlético Sobrarbe organiza la 3a Carrera de Montaña a la Peña Montañesa. El circuito tiene algo más de 23km con un desnivel positivo acumulado de 1589 metros.
También una forma de conocer ciudades es correr en ellas.
Estos dos últimos días he estado por trabajo en Madrid y ayer alrededor de las 10 de la noche después de un dia un poco cansado, me vestí de corto y salí Castellana arriba, Castellana abajo a hacer unos 12km. Pasé por las Torres Kio y por unos cuantos Ministerios y por un montón de sitios más que no tengo muy claro lo que eran…
En Madrid por la noche y entre semana hay muchísima más gente que en Barcelona y los restaurantes y bares están llenos. También hay muchos coches oficiales (casi todos Audis y BMWs) con gente «importante» que se sube o que se baja y que se mete en restaurantes.
Los del hotel me miraron un poco raros cuando aparecí todo sudado alrededor de las 11 en el hall.
Esta mañana, en la 84 edición de la Jean Bouin he conseguido un importante tiempo de 43’46» sobre un circuito de 10 km, lo que me da muchas esperanzas para seguir confiando en batir mi record personal de maratón en marzo de 2008. La Jean Bouin es una carrera atlética de carácter popular que cada año se celebra en Barcelona. Fue disputada por primera vez en 1920, lo que la convierte en el acontecimiento atlético vigente más antiguo de España, al margen de los Campeonatos de España de atletismo.
Jean Bouin era un atleta francés nacido el día de Navidad de 1888 en Marsella, que alcanzó la fama en la segunda década del siglo XX al batir los récords del mundo de la hora, los 3.000 y los 10.000 metros entre 1911 y 1913 y proclamarse subcampeón olímpico de 5.000 en los de Juegos de Estocolmo de 1912. Iba para campeón olímpico en los Juegos que en 1916 debían celebrarse en Berlín, pero el estallido de la Primera Guerra Mundial no sólo impidió que se celebrara la competición sino que acabó con su vida, pues el 28 de septiembre de 1914 murió abatido por las balas del propio ejército francés en el frente del Mosa.
No todos los días tienes la oportunidad de correr en una carrera en la que se bate un record del mundo… Ayer, en Berlín, el etíope Haile Gebrselassie hizo trizas el record del mundo de maratón dejándolo en 2h 04′ 26», casi 30 segundos menos que el tiempo que consiguió Paul Tergat en 2003. En mi caso me tuve que conformar con 3h 47′ 43», mi mejor marca desde 1999.
Abebe was born in 1932 in a town called Jato about 130 kms away from Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), in the district of NeA Denba near Debre Birhan. His parents were W/o Widnesh Menberu and Ato Bikila Demssie. According to the tradition of his enviorns, he spent most of his childhood as a shepherd and a student. At the age of 12, he completed the traditional, «Qes» schooling. At this age, Abebe had already distinguished himself as an exceptional «Gena» player. In 1952, young Abebe was hired by the Imperial Body Guard. At the Imperial Guard, he participated in both athletics and «Gena» game. In 1954, he married W/t Yewibdar W/Giorghis with whom he fathered four children.
Abebe Bikila
Abebe spent a number of years with the Imperial Guard before he distinguished himself as a fine athlete. His defining moment came when, once, he was watching a parade of Ethiopian athletes who had then participated in the Melbourne Olympics. Looking at these athletes who were wearing a sport outfit with the name «Ethiopia» written at the back, he asked who they were. When told that they were athletes who represented Ethiopia in the Olympics, he was determined to be one of them. In 1956, at the age of 24, Abebe participated in the national armed forces championships. The hero of the time was Wami Biratu who held the national records in 5000 and 10000M races. During the marathon race, the crowd at the stadium was waiting to see Wami Biratu come as a winner. In the first few kilometers, Wami was leading. After a while, radio broadcasters informed the crowd that a young unknown athlete by the name of Abebe was leading. As Abebe was extending his lead, the crowd waited anxiously to see this new sensation. Abebe easily won his first major race and later on went to break the 5000 and 10000 Meters record held by Wami. With this impressive results, Abebe qualified for the Rome Olympics. Finally, Abebe’s dream of wearing that sport outfit with Ethiopia’s name written at the back was realized.Abebe’s race in the Rome Olympics is what established him as a legend bigger than life and a household name all over the globe. Not only he won the race, but also set a new world record at 2:16:2. He was also the first African to win an Olympics medal. Commenting on why he run on bare foot, Abebe said, «I wanted the world to know that my country Ethiopia has always won with determination and heroism.»
Four years later during the Tokyo Olympics, Abebe’s fame has already reached all corners of the globe. Six weeks before the big race that awaited him, Abebe was taken ill with Appendicitis. He underwent surgery amid a public outcry for a proper medical council to decide on the procedure. The day he arrived in Tokyo, Abebe hadn’t fully recovered from the surgery and limped his way-down the stairs. However, the reception Abebe received from the Japanese people helped him recover rather quickly and unexpectedly.
Along with his colleagues, Mamo Wolde and Demssie Wolde, Abebe resumed his regular training after few days of his arrival in Tokyo. The marathon race, particularly, the way Abebe won it barely six weeks after his surgery and the gymnastic display he showed right after finishing the race victoriously is now a classic image engraved in the minds of hundreds of millions of people of this planet. This was also the first time ever that the marathon race was won consecutively by an athlete. The new record of 2:12:11 that Abebe set was also an icing on a cake for this remarkable race.
Abebe trained hard for the Mexico City Olympics of 1968. Unfortunately, he had to withdraw from the race after running 15 kilometers due to bad health. His compatriot, Mamo Wolde would later finish the race victoriously.
Abebe had competed in more than 26 major marathon races in his illustrious athletic career. The world championships he won in 1960 and 1962 deserve special recognition.
In 1968, The legendary Abebe Bikila was involved in a car accident in the city of Sheno about 70 Km from Addis Ababa that left him paralyzed the waist below. Over the next 9 months, he was treated both in Ethiopia and abroad. Even while in wheels, Abebe’s competitive spirit and desire to see his country’s flag hoisted high and proud helped him compete and win several races. In 1970, he participated in a 25 Km cross-country sledge competition in Norway where he won the gold medal. Again, in the same tournament, he won a similar 10 Km race where he was awarded a special plaque.
The illustrious life of the legendary Abebe Bikila came to a tragic end in October of 1973 when he finally succumbed to a disease he had battled for many months. This eternal Ethiopian hero was buried in the grounds of the St. Joseph church in the presence of a huge crowd and the then emperor, Atse Haile Selassie.
