A marathon runner and hopeful for the London 2012 Olympics has turning to some unusual training techniques because of the Norwegian winters. Urige Buta came to Norway in 2003 as an Ethiopian Refugee, becoming a Norwegian citizen last year.
He works as a school cleaner in Haugesund and has a two hour nine minute personal best for completing a marathon.Buta told the UK’s Metro newspaper that when the snow first came he saw it as a novelty, "But after three days, the excitement was over and it was just very, very cold.”
As a result, he began to run along a one- mile service tunnel used for sewage pipes during the winter while he waited for better weather outside.
Local trainer Erling Askerland, spotted Buta running and told the newspaper that he felt the athlete had something special.
“I saw it in how he ran, his style, his form and he’s a winner who is always positive even when his body is tired. His mind rises above because he wants to be better”.
Buta must train where he can as he must consider his job, often using the school's facilities, and his employers are planning to give him paid leave in order to allow him to prepare for the Olympics.
“Then maybe I can take a medal at the next European championships in 2014”, Buta said.
Norwegian
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