Jelena Prokopcuka
Age: 32 years
3000 - 8'42.66
10.000 - 30'38.78
Half marathon - 1h08.11
Marathon - 2h22'56
Olympic games 2004: 10.000 - 31'04.10 (7th)
Jelena will not run in Beijing. Sadly, for us, she has decided that the heat and humidity will be too much and have a deleterious effect on her health. She will be aiming for a big city marathon in the fall.
As you can see, Jele has very good track times, and although she hates running in circles, she realizes that the speed factor is very important in the marathon, especially at the higher levels when you are close to 2:20 or under.
She started running at age 11 following the discovery by a teacher that she had talent and mental toughness for the sport.
Jele has stopped running cross country. She has a very bouncy stride which is not efficient for cross country running. In cross country, a short stride and quick action are advantageous.
In winter Jelena runs competitions from 5km to the half marathon in diverse locations like Portugal, Spain and Costa Rica.
Lithuania has been independent since 1990. There are both advantages and disadvantages to this. Under the old system everthing was taken care of and the top athletes didn't have to worry about anything. There were clubs and associations. That has all fallen by the wayside, and the depth is not what it used to be, even though the country only has a population of 2.5 million.
At that time - it was difficult to leave the country. Now of course, things are easier - for those who have the means, leaving the country is not a problem and travel is easy
Jelena lives in Jurmala, about 30 minutes from Riga, but in winter she trains in the Algarve, Portugal, where she has a property, thanks to her handsome race winnings.
Her husband, who is also a good level runner, thinks that Jele can run under 2h20 minutes, and looking at her excellent track credentials, including 8'42 (3000) and 30'38 (10.000) one has to agree with this prediction.
The only reservation I have is because of the energy consumption due to her bouncy stride - that may be a slight disadvantage, but she will not be the only bouncy athlete to make good results in the ultimate test - look at Haile, who has adapted his stride to the marathon, when experts several years ago claimed that he would never make a great marathon runner because of his bouncy running style.
In Lithuania, Jelena is now recognized everywhere she goes, and this poses some problems. Lack of privacy. In Portugal, the advantage of the arrangement is the anonymity of the location. No one bothers her there, as there are so many other stars who train there.
In summer now, she prepares her big races in Switzerland.
Ghost,
, apply now, c.moulton
Source: VO2 France, no. 196