Mit - Index

Mit - UVK_Sinfo_2008_05_št.10 - Index

P E o P L E
the summit and in six hours we were down again. We could've
been down sooner, but the guys were thirsty and wanted some
water…I received the greatest climbing award in France − I was
the first disabled person on the summit.
THERE IS ALSO A MOvIE ABOuT YOuR
CLIMB, ISN'T THERE?
The camera man came up a bit later than we did, but the movie
was a success all over the world: USA, Spain, Italy, Austria, the
Czech Republic.
WAS IT dIFFICuLT?
It's all forgotten: all the suffering to get to Mont Blanc, when
my hands hurt, when everything hurts, when sitting on sharp
rocks hurts − I have forgotten everything! Well, it wasn't so bad
getting down − you had to be careful, most accidents happen on
the descent: guys in boots were literally skiing down behind me,
because I almost flew downhill.
ANd YOu STILL dIdN'T HAvE ENOuGH?
No. South America was next, more preparations, more searching
for funds, even though there were half as many of us as on
Mont Blanc. In the Andes, we climbed Mt Pisca, a little under six
thousand metres. It was nasty. It was far and unfamiliar. We drove
a lot - a bus takes you to around three thousand metres. The
expedition took three weeks. We had to adapt to the altitude,
and we did have some trouble at five thousand metres with the
lack of oxygen: we descended a little bit and then climbed again.
We didn't have any oxygen with us, so it was hard: people were
vomiting. I was too. It was terrible: it snowed almost every night
and we kept warm in our sleeping bags. Sometimes I was so cold
I felt physical pain…
WAS A NEW, HIGHER MOuNTAIN A
CHALLENGE FOR YOu?
It was a new victory, a new achievement. A friend who likes
mountaineering suggested we go to Africa − but I decided to
stay home. I started doing marathons.
YOu WERE ALSO THE BEARER OF THE
OLYMPIC TORCH, RIGHT?
In 1996 I was chosen to be one of the bearers of the Olympic
torch − it was the first centennial of the Olympic Games. With
a friend who was chosen to carry the Olympic torch for Croatia,
we decided to carry it as a symbol of friendship between Slovenia
and Croatia: the following year we went from Ljubljana to Zagreb
and carried our message of friendship in two stages.
Then I did seven Olympic marathons in seven consecutive days,
participated in the project Driver's Tolerance Towards Children
from Dravograd to »atež, and, well, there was a lot of that. I
went to Australia for the Sydney-Melbourne marathon: I was
invited by the Australians and I drove a thousand kilometres −
every day, morning until evening. I did it in 14 days.
IS SPORT STILL THE ESSENCE OF YOuR
LIFE? AN ILLNESS A FEW YEARS AGO
STOPPEd YOu FOR A WHILE.
I had hepatitis, so I had a liver transplant four years ago. It was
very hard at the beginning, but now it's fine. Life goes on. I don't
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climb anymore, but after four years, I'm back on my hands − not
feet. I still drive a car, I work and I'm thinking about getting more
active in sports. I have a dog, we go for a walk every morning,
I do things around the house, I cook lunch (I always cook, I can
cook anything, except potica). I think you have to be active every
day. These things became part of my daily routine. I take the
discipline I have for granted.
WOuLd YOu AGREE THAT THE
GREATEST MIRACLE IN YOuR LIFE IS
YOu, WITH YOuR STRONG WILL ANd
dETERMINATION?
Yes (hesitating). Probably because I'm so realistic. I don't care
about philosophy. I care about tangible things, things at hand.
The most important are those things that are true, that are. Those
things that I can see, feel. I live with that. And I wish I could live
a long life, because from what I've done so far, I believe I've only
come half way.
Podpis: ≈i want to get healthy, get well, so i can get back
on my hands again, get strong and maybe climb ojstrica
(smiles)…«
mirko's friend marija is a lucky lady: he carries her in his
hands and cooks her lunch every day.