29 January 2010 / TODAY’S ZAMAN, İSTANBUL
Athletes from the eastern province of Bitlis are getting ready for the Turkish Athletics Championship to be held on Jan. 30-31 in İzmir by training in a tunnel due to adverse weather conditions.
The athletes have turned the 8 Ağustos Tunnel in Bitlis into a running track since the city has been battered by heavy snow and cold weather. Speaking to the Anatolia news agency, the coach of the team, Fadıl Kara, said the tunnel is suitable for running because it is not affected by snow. “The tunnel is a good running track for us. It is 1,950 meters long. We are trying to make use of this tunnel as much as possible. We are continuing our training despite harsh weather conditions. Also, our athletes’ running shoes are worn out. These boys are running 500 kilometers on average per month. No shoes can stand this pace. They are running with these old worn-out shoes. I believe we will be successful despite these [obstacles],” he noted. He added that they need a sponsor for the team. “We have such problems since we do not have a sponsor. Our financial situation is not good. We expect help from charitable businesspeople and officials,” he said, noting that they can no longer train at the 8 Ağustos Stadium, where they usually run, because the running track is covered with snow.Kara believes that athletics will save the lives of youth in Bitlis. Noting that athletes in Bitlis look up to Alper Demir, who took third place in the junior men’s competition at the 25th World Mountain Running Championship held in Italy last year, he said he believes more athletes from Bitlis will be successful.
