Zlatan Alagić from Bihać can certainly be an inspiration to many people with his perseverance, will to live and positive energy.
After an accident in his early childhood, he was completely immobile for a while. He was about two and a half years old when he was hit by a car and suffered a severe concussion. He spent two months in a coma, and after waking up from the coma followed a long and arduous struggle for life. After the car accident, Zlatan was diagnosed with cerebral hemiparesis – damage to one side of the body.
However, this tenacious man never gave up and fought with all his strength to show himself and others that life is worth all the effort and work, and today, as impossible as it sounds, he participates in races all over Europe and conquers mountain peaks.
– First Race –
He officially ran his first race in July 2017, when he ran five kilometers as part of the Paljan Half Marathon.
“I’m sitting on Facebook and I see a post by my colleague Mirza Podžić from Sarajevo, a guy in a wheelchair, who managed to finish a marathon, covering 42 kilometers in a wheelchair. Then I said to myself: If he could, why shouldn’t I try? Start with some smaller races and then see later,” said the 34-year-old Bišćan in an interview with Anadolu agency before the race itself, which he successfully ran in Sarajevo.
That’s how he managed to finish the first race in Pale, which, as he said, he will never forget because then he saw that everything can be achieved when something is strongly desired.
“Admittedly, there was more walking than running, but considering my disability, I managed to finish the race with the help of other runner friends,” said Zlaja, as he is usually called.
So far, he has officially completed 218 races, from Bosnia and Herzegovina to major European races.
“I participated in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, Slovenia, Croatia and Montenegro. I would like to single out primarily the race in Velika Kladuša, Kladuška petica, in our canton, the Bihać Half Marathon, and as for larger races, I would single out Belgrade, where last year there were over twelve thousand participants,” said this marathoner.
Running means a lot to him in life, and he especially emphasized the positive effects of running on health.
“Therefore, we relax our muscles and forget about the problems that bother us, and thus we contribute to preserving our health,” said this persistent young man.
– He is also involved in hiking –
In addition to running, he also enjoys hiking, and is a member of the Bihac association “Horizont 2006”.
“I joined them for the first time in 2012. At that time, these were ordinary walks around the city of Bihać, and I literally could not walk a hundred meters. I was constantly tired, had to stop, sometimes even gave up, but they cheered me on and supported me,” he said.
With this association, in 2013, he decided to go to the “Nezuk – Potočari” Peace March, which is held every year in memory of the genocide in Srebrenica, which then was about 115 kilometers long. Since then, he has successfully completed this great undertaking every year, something he is especially proud of.
“As for other races, I participated in marathons, half-marathons, ultramarathons, trail races, five- and ten-kilometer races, as well as other races,” said Zlaja.
This determined man even completed an extremely demanding race, an ultramarathon lasting 12 hours, which is a huge challenge even for the most prepared athletes.
Participation in races, as he pointed out, helps him to meet new people, new cultures and to broaden his life perspectives.
“Each new race, new city we go to gives us new perspectives where we get to know new nations and cultures.” This was the first time I was in Belgrade, it was fantastic, I met many friends”, said this marathon runner.
– He feels most beautiful when he manages to make others happy –
In the end, he advises all people to pay much more attention to health and lead a more active lifestyle.
“Everyone chooses their own way to heal and contribute to their health. Whatever he chooses, he will be good at it,” said this industrious Bosnian.
In addition to sports activities, Zlatan works hard in the humanitarian organization Pomozi.ba, and he describes his work as the most beautiful calling and notes that he feels most beautiful when he succeeds in making other people happy, AA writes.
