Interview with Jelena Prokopcuka

By Pat Goodwin

When Jelena Prokopcuka flies from her native Latvia this week to New York City, she will be traveling to her favorite marathon. As the two-time defending champion of the ING New York City Marathon, she is returning to the place where she had a breakthrough performance and became an international star.

There will be a lot of pressure on Prokopcuka for her 11th marathon because the stakes are high. If she wins on November 4, she will be the first woman to win New York three times in a row since Grete Waitz of Norway accomplished the feat two decades ago. In addition, if she wins she will be the champion of the first two-year World Marathon Majors Series and she will earn her half of the $1 million prize.

But Prokopcuka knows all this is not a given. She’s seen the list of her competitors and knows it is a tough field. However, the 31-year-old is prepared for the challenge, realizing the race is unlikely to be a repeat of last year when she took an early lead and never looked back.

Prokopcuka, who earlier this year finished second in Boston, has a personal best in the marathon of 2:22:56, which she set while winning Osaka in 2005. Besides her two wins at New York, she has finished second at the Boston Marathon twice, third at the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon, fifth at the Paris Marathon, and seventh at the Flora London Marathon. She is also a three-time Olympian (1996, 2000 and 2004) and the Latvian record-holder in seven distances: marathon, half- marathon, 20K, 10K, 10,000 meters, 5000 meters, and 3000 meters.

Although her focus now is solely on the roads, Prokopcuka began her running career on the track, going to the Olympics in the 5000 and 10,000 meters. She is coached by her husband, Aleksandr Prokopcuk, who is the Latvian record-holder in the marathon. They live in the resort town of Jurmala located on the Gulf of Riga.

Fast-women.com: Are you nervous for this race in New York?

Jelena Prokopcuka: It is very exciting to have a chance to win for a third time. There are going to be so many good runners in one place on one day this year. The struggle will be interesting. Of course I have a little bit of nerves, but I try not to think about my competition. I am just full of anticipation to run this race.

FW: In addition to trying for a three-peat, you also have a chance to win the first World Marathon Majors Series title. Is it a lot of pressure with so much on the line?

JP: I want to win for the third time and I want to win the World Marathon Majors as well. This year the field is so tough, it will be very difficult. If I want to win the Majors, I have to be first or second, no lower. But I can say if I don’t do it, it won’t make me unhappier. And if I do accomplish it, it won’t make me any happier because I am happy now. But of course I will try to do it. It won’t be so easy for my competitors to beat me.

FW: What do you know about your competition at New York? Doesn’t Gete Wami also have a chance to win the women’s World Marathon Majors?

JP: Gete has a good chance to run well in New York even though she just ran Berlin on September 30—Gete ran the last 15 to 20K in Berlin easy and was thinking about New York. Berlin was not so tough for her – 42K [26.1 miles – nearly the distance of a marathon] doesn’t matter so much if you are running easy. Three weeks before New York I ran 42K easy and you can recover from that. So Gete has a good chance to do well.

FW: What about Paula Radcliffe? I’m assuming you’ve raced against her before.

JP: Yes, we have had a lot of competitions together. I’ve raced against her two times in the marathon—first in 2003 in London and then in 2004 in New York when she won. She isn’t the Paula that she was three years ago but she is strong. She can run well. She wants to win and she will do everything to do it. The race will be interesting. Paula likes to run fast and push the pace.

FW: Anyone else? What about Lidiya Grigoryeva, who won Boston last spring?

JP: The Boston winner is a good runner too. I don’t know about her preparations for New York. I haven’t heard about her as far as what shape she is in or how she is feeling.

FW: You ran Boston last spring and finished second to Lidiya. How was that race for you?

JP: The weather was awful this year. I’m not afraid of the cold temperature but the rain was cold and it was very windy. I had some problems during my preparation for Boston so my recovery was difficult. I was ill two times with the flu and with a high temperature before Boston. I wasn’t able to do the workouts.

FW: Do you plan to do Boston again this spring?

JP: I don’t know if I will do Boston in 2008. I’ll make that decision after New York. However, my husband is considering participating in Boston this year. His last marathon was at Boston when he finished 11th in 2004.

FW: Where do you run when are at home in Jurmala?

JP: I live on the Baltic Sea and there are no hills there. We do have a beautiful dune. In the summer I run on the beach but usually I train on the road out in the forest. Our beach is very suitable for running. You can go 40 kilometers along the beach but I don’t like it because I can see how far it is. I prefer to run in the forest.

FW: Do you like to run road races now more than track?

JP: I do like the road races more than the track. Actually I can say I hate the track now. It is difficult for my mind. The road is very easy for my soul because I like running in nature. That is very important for me. The first time I ran a road race I knew it was what I wanted to do. I enjoy it.

FW: Do you like the course at New York?

JP: I like hills. The hills in New York are long and tough and I like that. The last hill to finish is difficult and if I am in good shape, I can use that hill very well.

FW: You ran the NYRR New York Mini 10K in June and finished fifth. Have you run any other competitions since then to prepare for New York?

JP: I haven’t run many races since June. It has been a difficult time for me because Aleks’s father died on July 4 and our lives changed. It was very sudden—it was a heart attack. One moment he was here and then he was gone. He lived near to us. It was a difficult time for my soul. He was a kind man and my friend and of course he helped us. It was difficult for my husband because it was so unexpected. It affected my training and I didn’t think about competition.

FW: How has your training gone this fall?

JP: My training this year has been about the same as one year ago. I went to St. Moritz in Switzerland for three weeks of altitude, then home for about two weeks and then to Estonia for two weeks. I’ve been at home now leading up to the race. I ran about 200 kilometers per week. I train with my husband who is also my coach. My preparation for New York was enough time to recover from the difficult moment but I think about it almost every day. My body is secure and my preparation has been good but I still need more time to recover for my soul.

FW: Tell me about your Olympic experiences. If you make the Latvian team for 2008, will this be your fourth Olympics?

JP: I ran the 5000 meters in 1996 at the Olympics in Atlanta, then the 5000 and 10,000 meters in Sydney, and the 10,000 at the Games in Athens. I am not thinking about the 2008 Olympics in Beijing just yet. Now my target is New York. I have the qualifying time to be on the team from Latvia in the marathon but I have not yet decided.

FW: In addition to your running, what else do you do?

JP: I like to read books, I like to watch movies and different sporting events. My favorite is knitting. I also like to plant and grow things at my house.

Interview conducted October 27, 2007, and posted November 1, 2007.