Leonid shvetsov biography of michael

With grateful thanks to Leonid Shvetsov – twice Comrades Marathon winner and record breaker. Website

Translated from Russian, lightly edited and added to by Tom Cottrell.

Do you know what they say about the first impression?

As if it arises through perception and unconscious processing of information about something new in our brain.

Leonid shvetsov biography of michael

Early in February I was getting ready for a live broadcast with my friend and running apprentice, Mikhail Petukhov. I thought back to my very first Comrades in 2001. I was trying to put my first impression into words.

Before the race I was staying in Durban.

The race kicked off early, 5:30 in the morning, and we still had to travel to the start.

Leonid shvetsov biography of michael jackson

From Durban we had to travel 90 kilometres to Pietermaritzburg. But I was lucky – I even managed to take a nap on the bus.

At the moment of the start it was still dark, because June in South Africa is a winter month. Being in the starting corridor, I felt – no, not th