“I started a little too fast”: after marathon suffering, Cologna rewards himself with schnitzel and beer

class=”sc-29f61514-0 icZBHN”>

For Dario Cologna (37) it is definitely after this Sunday in Berlin. “A marathon is harder than a 50 in cross-country skiing, at least for me,” says the four-time Olympic champion, smiling about his baptism of fire as a marathon runner with a time of 2:28.35 hours.

Blick caught Cologna on the phone the day after the debut. “The legs hurt quite a bit, the tension was great,” he describes the after-pain, “I mainly feel the thighs and the Achilles tendons.” The latter was already a problem area for Graubünden during his active time on the cross-country ski trail.

But beyond that, Cologna is excited about the marathon experience. Not only because of the result, the 174th place out of more than 48,000 participants. “It was really cool, the atmosphere was great.” The cross-country skiing legend was allowed to start far in front – directly behind the elite runners – which was also noticeable in the area.

Changing clothes right next to superstar Kipchoge

“I was very well looked after,” says Cologna, “and I changed in the same place as Kipchoge (the eventual winner Eliud Kipchoge, editor). It was really cool when he arrived with his whole entourage.”

The entourage in Cologne was slightly smaller. During the marathon days he lived with his brother Gianluca and his manager Dominik Leu in an apartment in Berlin, and the former Swiss skier Stefan Brütsch also came as a supporter. The trio of supporters were curious to see whether Cologna would reach its ambitious target of 2 hours and 30 minutes.

“I started a little too fast because I didn’t have the experience. Because I started far in front, the pace of the others was quite high, so I got carried away,” says the Bündener. But thanks to his years of being a top athlete, he recognizes the body’s signals. “I was then able to check and there was no break-in.”

The marathon newcomer did not get to know the feared Hammermann, even though he says: “It was very tough around kilometer 32, but I was always able to maintain the average of about 4 minutes per kilometer. Things got better in the last kilometers and the approaching end made me feel better again.”

There is no plan yet for the next marathon

When he had to bite along the way, Cologna blamed himself: “If I had trained more, I would have suffered less.” But the next day he has come to terms with the fact that as a hobby runner he no longer has the same expectations as as a professional. This also applies to time. The 2 hours and 30 minutes goal was just a guideline. Cologna: «I wouldn’t have cared if I had needed a few more minutes. It still would have been a really nice time.”

After the race, the Olympic champion treated himself to a hearty lunch with Wienerschnitzel and beer. Are you already thinking about the next marathon? “First I have to recover properly,” says Cologna before the return flight, “nothing is planned. But I can imagine!”

Source : Blick