Athletics 02-05-2007
Source: Sportfórum.hu
Written by: Károly Jocha

She could not resist the temptation

Barbara Molnár (in our picture), one of the hope of long distance runners, began doping with sponge fingers. Up to now she has not failed in doping controls – she is running the first official marathon distance of her life on Sunday in Vienna.

1. I began to run when I was eleven years old, after that I vainly craved for running with my father (Zoltán Molnár, managing director of the Hungarian Olympic Committee), as I was considered to be too young – remembered the beginning the fourth-year student of University of Physical Education. – The lucky change came to me when I went to the sport specialty Hermina Street Primary School in Zugló, where dr. János Török trainer chose me soon and invited me into his team.
2. When did the first serious results come?
3. Two years later I won championships in three events of adolescents’ B age group of national championships – 2000, 3000, 6000 meters and I was able to repeat this triple win one year later. I have been preparing even more purposeful since that time.
4. Your medal cabinet is almost full, you have to make room for the new trophies….
5. I won sixteen age-group champion titles during the years and number of my medals and cups can be estimated to be one hundred and ten. And I have such results which seem to be very modest, however they are very important for me. At my age of 14 in the Slovenian Velenje I could enter as a Hungarian selected runner in the junior cross-country European Championships of the 19 years old competitors, where I was the 66th in the field of 100. And I appreciate that I could take part in the Turkish Izmir in the Universiade where I finished in the fourteenth place.  
6. During the years you competed in longer and longer distances. What is its reason?
7. My basic speed is very moderate, thus in shorter distances – in five or ten thousand meters – my possibilities are delimited. Therefore I „escape” upwards. First of all I preferred half-marathon and now I undertake for the first time to run the marathon distance.
8. Though you did half-marathon nineteen times, but your trainer, dr. János Török considers this new adventure a little bit early.
9. He may be right, but in the given special situation I could not resist the temptation. Levente Balassa, a twenty-seven-year-old psychologist – who teaches also at University of Physical Education – offered me to lead a Vienna marathon for me. This moment was decisive, and at 10 on Sunday I start it. According to my expectations, I do the distance between 2:50 and 3:00 hours.
10. Vienna marathon has been kept in evidence between the most popular European competitions.
11. It is true. For example last year, together with the different events, about twenty thousand people took part in the running festival. Eight thousand of them nominated for the 42195 m distance. Similar number of people is expected this year again. Certainly several Hungarian notable athletes will line up for the start, in men for example Gergely Rezesi (Vasas) who is between the best ones, while in women Petra Teveli (UTE), who ran in the World Road Running Championships in Debrecen in 2006, will also start.

(Photo: JochaPress)