Interview with Olena Plastinina and Victoria Ganushina
by Shannon Martin

Above: Olena Plastinina running the ING New York CityMarathon. Below: Victoria Ganushina running in the ING New York CityMarathon Bottom photo: Alison Wade/New York Road Runners

Olena Plastinina, 42, is one the Warren Street Social & Athletic Club’s top runners. She completed the ING New York City Marathon 2005 in 2:40:10 to claim the Lewis Rudin Award as the top NYRR women's finisher. Her PB in the half-marathon is 1:13:20 and she is a former winner of the Bermuda, Grandma's, Philadelphia, and Hartford Marathons.

Victoria Ganushina, 26, is also a top runner for Warren Street. An accomplished athlete, Victoria has a half-marathon PB of 1:19:54.

Plastinina and Ganushina registered to compete as a two-woman half-marathon team, in the More Marathon on March 26, 2006. Due to an injury, Plastinina was not able to compete. Ganushina partnered with Tatayana Pozdnyakova, and the pair ran a combined 2:37:17 to take second place team honors.

Fast-Women.com caught up with Plastinina and Ganushina at the home of their Warren Street coach, Rick Pascarella. Plastinina spoke about her running background in addition to translating for Ganushina.

Fast-Women.com: How many years have you been a part of Warren Street?
Olena Plastinina: I’ve been a part of Warren Street for four years and Victoria, for two years.

FW: Do the two of you train together?
OP: Yes, I coach Victoria. We run together often. Sometimes, she’s faster. Sometimes, I’m faster; sometimes we’re at the same pace.

FW: How did you and Victoria meet?
OP: Well, she was running in the Ukraine and had a coach there, but her times were not improving over a three-year period. She almost gave up on running. After she was at that point, I asked her if I could train her and she agreed.

FW: So, you invited her to come and stay here with you in New York, is that right?
OP: Yes.

FW: And how long ago was that?
OP: Two years ago.

FW: Do both of you go back to the Ukraine often?
OP: Victoria does. She will go there and stay for a month and come back here for six months. I do not have that much freedom because my daughter is here.

FW: Tell me about your daughter.
OP: She’s 14 and is a very good runner. She is doing well in school here too.

FW: That’s good to hear. How old were the two of you when you started running?
OP: Victoria started when she was 15. I started when I was 14.

FW: What distances did you run back then?
OP: Well, I ran the 3K in the Junior USSR championships. Victoria ran mainly the 800 meters and the 1,500 meters.

FW: Is running in Ukraine much different than it is here in the States?
OP: Yes, it is much different. That is one of the reasons why I wanted Victoria to come here. She doesn’t get too many opportunities to compete in Ukraine. Even today, whenever Victoria goes back to Ukraine, she loses her good running form.

In Ukraine, there are some serious runners, but you don’t see a wide range of runners in terms of age and ability. There aren’t many competitions at all, definitely not like here. And there, when you run a race, there are no awards, nothing like that.

My daughter runs a lot now that she is here in the states. She would not dare run back in Ukraine for fear that all of her classmates would tease her.

FW: You both do well running at various distances. What are your favorite distances to run?
OP: My favorite distance as a masters runner is the 10K.

FW: Really?
OP: Yes, but not on the track. I ran a 10K on the track in Ukraine and it was awful. You start out with 40 runners and it’s hard to settle into your place; I finished in twelfth place with a 32:40. The time isn’t bad seeing as I had to plow my way through runners.

FW: What is Victoria’s favorite distance?
OP: She likes the half-marathon.

FW: And she did phenomenal finishing second at the Brooklyn Half on March 18th.
OP: Yes, and both of us were only training. She could have easily run much faster. We did it for training though, since we were planning on doing More next weekend.

FW: You are injured, is that right Olena?
OP: Yes, I am. I’ve had this foot separation injury with my Achilles tendon. [Pointing to her foot]. I ran the ING New York City Marathon with this injury and I don’t know if I should have done that.

I injured my foot three days before the race and did not run for the two days prior to the race. I knew that despite my body hurting, I could till run with my mind. Running is so much of a mental challenge.

FW: And you were NYRR’s top woman finisher; that’s pretty impressive. That takes a lot of mental determination.
OP: Yes, I was happy that I still ran. I took time off and I re-injured myself this past weekend.

FW: I’m sorry to hear that. On to more a more positive topic; how do the two of you feel about women’s-only racing? Do you view it any differently than co-ed races?
OP: No, I view them the same. For me, I train often by myself. When I run the race, it’s as though I am running by myself.

FW: So, you get into your own little zone?
OP: Yes, that’s right. I’ve done some races where I’m running with someone off and on throughout the race, but usually, I’m out there on my own with good form. If I have good form, that’s all that matters to me.

Victoria though, she often gets disturbed by male runners. They try to talk to her and she doesn’t want to talk back.

FW: So, they distract her? Do you think women also distract women while running races?
OP: No, I don’t think so. I think top-level women focus more on their running. A 2:42 male marathoner will distract us women, but I don’t think a 2:42 female marathoner would do the same.

FW: That’s an interesting comparison. So, what future running goals do each of you have?
OP: I’d like to run under a 2:30 marathon. I think I can do it. My goal was to run New York last year under 2:40 and I almost did that even though I was injured.

FW: And is Victoria seeking to compete in the Olympics in the future?
OP: [Victoria laughing] Victoria wants to run under a 2:40 marathon.

FW: It’s interesting that the two of you consider the 10K and the half-marathon as your favorite races, yet your running goals are for the marathon. Olena, do you have 10K goals and Victoria, do you have half-marathon goals?
OP: My best 10K was 32:47; I’d like to beat that time. It’s usually around 33:00 these days. Victoria would like to run a half marathon in 1:16.

Another goal that I have is a bit different, but very much involves running. I’m actually working very hard to initiate a race in a beautiful beachfront town that I know very well, in Ukraine. I want to change the culture of running in Ukraine.

What I’d like to do is attract U.S. runners to come to this race and connect it with some sort of tourist package. I’d like to get sponsors and for the first time have a race in Ukraine, where every finisher gets a shirt and the top three men and women get cash prizes.

FW: This is a great goal that you have, Olena. Have you begun pursuing this vision?
OP: Yes, I have. I mapped out a course, a 3.8K course for kids and a 10K course for older runners. I spoke to the Ukraine Federation [similar to the United States’ USATF] about it and they said that it was a very good idea. I want to expose more people there to the world of running.

I ran my first New York City Marathon in 1994 and came in 15th place. I would come to the States, run some races make some money, and go back to Ukraine. Four years ago, I came here and this time I stayed, bringing my daughter along. I’m very lucky to be able to compete so much with running. Runners back in Ukraine are not as fortunate.

FW: Do you and Victoria both enjoy living in the United States?
[They both nod their heads “Yes.”]

Interview Conducted on March 20, 2006 and posted on March 24, 2006