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Svetlana Zakharova: Small Town Success
A World-Class Russian Marathoner
by Drew Woodrich
January/February 2003
For the Washington Running Report
Photo above by Victah Sailer: Svetlana Zakharova set another personal best at the 2002 La Salle Bank Chicago Marathon, 2:21:31
Svetlana Zakharova is a Russian marathoner who races overseas with the assistance of her Gaithersburg-based agent, Konstantin Selinevich. Zakharova made a noticeable local appearance in 2000 at the NASDAQ Veterans Day 10K, winning the women's event in 32:53. The following year, she placed third in the IAAF Women's World Marathon Championships with a time of 2:26:18. This year she placed second at the London Marathon in 2:22:31. In October, Zakharova spoke at the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon pre-race athlete interviews through Selinevich, who translated her responses to reporter's questions.
Origins Svetlana Zakharova lives in a town of 10,000 inhabitants on the Volga River, 600 kilometers east of Moscow. It is a place known for producing several outstanding distance athletes, including the 1992 Women's Olympic Marathon gold medalist, Valentina Yegorova. These days, Zakharova is a recognizable sports star in town. She trains in Russia most of the year and has been involved in the local community; she helps host sports competitions for local youth.
Zakharova made a reluctant move to a larger city after her talent was noticed and began serious training. She did not enjoy the new city but lived there with her sister, who urged Svetlana to take full advantage of the opportunity.
Zakharova prefers 5K and 10K road races to track competition. In 1994, she ran her first marathon with little specific training for the longer distance and finished in a respectable time of 2:45. The marathon became a regular event for her and she achieved a breakthrough in 1999 with a 2:27:08 performance in the Berlin Marathon-this lowered her marathon best by six minutes. She has continued to improve her time in small increments; on October 13, she finished fourth in Chicago in 2:21:31-one minute faster than April's London race.
Strong Finish Svetlana Zakharova's ability to finish strong and pass fellow competitors in the closing miles of a grueling marathon make her a sparkling performer. In Chicago, she reduced a gap of 1:49 behind Yoko Shibui at the 13.1 mile mark to a mere 9 seconds at the finish, barely missing third place. American Deena Drossin ran with Zakharova until 18 miles when, Drossin said, Zakharova made a drastic move and left Drossin without the wheels to follow.
Zakharova trains to strengthen her closing miles with a method also utilized by the men's world record holder, Khalid Khannouchi: in workouts, do long runs the way one desires to race--push hard during the final miles, so that one's body grows used to hard running while fatigued.
Top marathoners emphasize the necessity to run according to one's own plan rather than adopting another racer's strategy. In Chicago, Zakharova did not expect to match Catherine Ndereba and Paula Radcliffe, women who would run sub-2:20 pace. She ran evenly paced miles and finished with a personal best, rather than gamble with a pace faster than her current capability.
Fresh Ideas During the early 1990s, Svetlana Zakharova trained with an Olympic distance runner under the same coach, but her ability was not taken seriously. An ideal coach-athlete relationship develops trust and friendship, taps a deep knowledge base shared by the coach, and provides motivation to the athlete with a reasonable challenge. A caring coach can draw out hidden potential and provide a balanced view of one's ability. Svetlana found this unique guidance in Nikolai, a former member of the Russian national nordic ski team, whom she married in 1995 and took on as a coach in 1999.
Although she dislikes cold weather training, Nikolai has convinced Svetlana to don skis during winter months for her endurance buildup. Her results in 2002 are evidence that this Nordic training has benefited her marathon program.
Svetlana trains in Russia and stays at a national sports facility near Chechyna during altitude training. It is a well- equipped, federally funded soccer training site with full amenities. She is a quiet, discreet woman who avoids the glamour of athletic stardom.
New Standards Russia has a tradition of success in long-distance running, according to Konstantin Selinevich, and Zakharova's bronze in the World Championships is a pleasing accomplishment. In 2002, she twice set a new Russian record for the women's marathon: 2:22:31 in London and 2:21:31 in Chicago. Svetlana Zakharova has a good relationship with the Russian sport federation and there will be future opportunities to represent her country in top level competition.
Svetlana Zakharova has enjoyed success at the Honolulu Marathon with a first place finish in 1997 (2:33:14) and second place finishes four straight years, 1998-2001. December 2002 brought a return to the winners circle (2:29:08)in a tightly contested race.
Comments to the author via email: Drew
Appreciation to Konstantin Selinevich, a cheerful voice who made this interview possible. Also, thanks to the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon for offering a showcase event open to all interested media.