Athletics 08-05-2007
Photo and text: Károly Jocha

It made trouble that the championships
was taken away from Debrecen

To a pleasant surprise Petra Teveli, athlete of UTE, finished in the distinguished fifth place in women in the Vienna marathon competition of 29 April, which attracts huge fields.

• Did you expect such a good place? – I asked the member of the selected Hungarian team who finished in the sixth place – to a pleasant surprise – in the World Road Running Championships arranged in Debrecen on 8th October, 2006.
• We planned with my trainer firstly the expected time and I could do it with my 2:40:31 hours individual record. I was not really interested in the place that I still do not know what money prize I get for it. Believe it or not, I even do not know the amount of the premium what the winner gets.
• Obviously you did not begin as a marathon runner when you started your career.
• I am twenty-eight years old and I spent half of my life in the attraction of running. I began it at my age of fourteen and in the next season I had already stood on the podium in the adolescents’ National Championships. In the later age-group championships I gained several first places in three-, five-, and ten-thousand-metre distances.
• So you were always a long-distance runner, but marathon has outstanding requirements also in this category. Since when have you thought of doing the 42195 metres?
• As my basic quickness limits my possibilities, therefore after some time I began to plan „upwards”. After I did several half-marathons, in the autumn of 2003 in the Italian Reggio Emilia I came through the first ordeal.
• You attained the goal in 2:47 hours then, while now, three and a half years later you reached the limits of 2:40 hours. How many competitions were needed for reaching it and how are you satisfied with your new individual record?
• This was my sixth marathon run and interestingly I had serious difficulties during the second and the third occasions, but not the first one. Then I did 2:45 and 2:43 and now 2:40:31 hours. Basically I am satisfied as I trained really hard for this trying distance only during the last one year.   
• According to your time result comes the question: do you hope that you will fulfill the 2:38 hours nomination level of Peking Olympic Games?
• As my trainer resolutely encourages to it, therefore I accept this goal, though I will not have too many occasions as I can probably start only in an autumn marathon this year. Up to that time I train hard and I hope that I can fulfill the level in a pleasantly cool competition; since the temperature is a very considerable factor, it was much warmer in Vienna than the ideal.  
• You have four-five months till the next marathon trial due in September – October. You will spend that time obviously not only with training.
• I graduated from University of Horticulture last year and now I work only half-time because I would like to take running very serious. The marathon championships, which was announced to 15 April, to Debrecen, was unfortunately taken away by the association one month sooner. This decision made me serious troubles as I begin to train in October-November with the knowledge of the competition diary. Otherwise, the ten-thousand-metres national championships will be arranged in Pécs at the end of next week where I should gain a medal place. In August will be the Universiade in Thailand, for which I have already attained the right to enter. There are still track competitions and I would like to close the season with a successful marathon.   
• To these competitions the way leads through very hard and long distance trainings.  
• I often run thirty kilometres on Margaret Island or in Káposztásmegyer. Fortunately I am many times accompanied by my husband by bicycle, which means great help and encouragement to me.