VIDEO INTERVIEW | Ajanovski: There is no ideal age when you should start running
Where did the desire come from and when has he been involved in running, which way will he perform at the "Skopje Marathon", what he writes about in his two books and what is his favorite race, we asked the several-time state champion in running, the athlete Kokan Ajanovski in the morning show Free Press.
"I started running in 2008. By chance, I heard an advertisement for the Skopje Marathon on the radio. I didn't know what a marathon was then. I told myself to try a half marathon. My goal was just to finish it, without going. It was love at first sight. I ran a half marathon quite by accident, and continued to participate in all the races that followed. Since I started running late, at the age of 26, I thought that I would not be eligible to participate, but I saw that anyone can participate in street races, regardless of age. That encouraged me, and I told myself to make my childhood dream come true. I have always wanted to be a professional athlete. I continued to run and after two years I became the champion of Macedonia for the first time. I have more than 20 state champion titles in various athletic disciplines and more than 30 appearances for the Macedonian athletics team," Ajanovski told us about his beginnings.
The twelfth edition of the Skopje Marathon, which will be held on Sunday, will be Ajanovski's 16th participation in the Skopje Marathon.
"This will be my 16th participation in the Skopje Marathon. Practically only once have I not participated, in 2012, since I started running. At the Skopje Marathon, I have participated in 8 half marathons and 6 marathons. In 2015, because the marathon was postponed, we ran a show. Although I ran a half marathon last year, this year I will run a marathon, and it will also be a state championship, which is a plus challenge. I hope that this time, with the greatest experience so far, I will enjoy the most in this most difficult athletic discipline", says Ajanovski.
Ajanovski has covered thousands of kilometers in races around the world, and for him, his favorite marathon was in the Cypriot city of Limassol.
"Favorite race, and my best international success is the 2018 bronze medal from Cyprus in Limassol at the Balkan Marathon Championships. I will remember that race for the rest of my life. Something that honestly, when I started running, I never in my wildest dreams hoped that I would be able to achieve it. I am proud of that success, that race lies in my heart, a beautiful city, a great place, it is run by the sea. I can also single out the World Half Marathon Championships in Copenhagen, where I achieved a personal record in the half marathon section."
Ajanovski is considered a great motivator, and he has translated his inspiring stories into two books titled "Running teaches me" and "Running for you".
"Running Teaches Me" is a book released in 2020. It is my first book, which I wrote spontaneously, inspired by all the beautiful moments that running brings, amazed by its performances. Satisfied with the vibes I got from the readers after the first book, I was motivated to write the second book "I run for you", which I released in April this year. "I run for you" is a kind of continuation of the first book. The style is similar, the topics are: inspiration, motivation, philosophy and everything related to running - says Ajanovski.
We asked Ajanovski if the performance of the marathoner Dario Ivanovski at the Olympics in Paris is a plus motive for as many people as possible to do running.
"Dario Ivanovski achieved great success. It is definitely a motivation for everyone else to follow his story, to see how literally anyone who really wants, has a strong will, who is ready to give up a lot of things to make his dream come true and be present at the Olympics and that way to directly and indirectly motivate many other people. As I have previously motivated, what I have inspired, Dario did it at a much higher level, much better, represented Macedonia in many important competitions and is a real inspiration for both the young and the elderly - says Ajanovski.