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“I first tried Penta water at the 2002 San Diego Marathon. I drank it prior to and during the race. I then won the race, so now have included it as an important part of my training schedule. I have spent most of 2001 injured, and feel that being fluid with Penta has helped to decrease my injuries. I feel this is true, not just a coincidence, because I have more stamina and energy which makes you less prone to injury.”
At 24, Janko Bensa is well on his way to a promising running career. In 2000, his first year of professional running, he established himself as one of the top road runners in the United States. As a high school junior in Yugoslavia, he joined a running club and was able to come to the U.S. on a track scholarship. His track coach at Missouri Valley College recognized his potential and immediately put him on the cross-country team. But after the war broke out in 1998, Janko soon left school and turned pro to support his family back home. "I had a hard time figuring out my situation," Bensa said. "I was worried. I knew I could not help my family if I'd stayed." He now calls the U.S. his home and is a certified trainer (both short and long distance running) while finishing up his college degree.
Janko Bensa is Serbia’s (formerly Yugoslavia’s) #1 ranked runner and a 14 time national champion. Before coming to the United States in 1999, he finished 20th in the IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships at the young age of 20. He won the San Diego Half-Marathon (in 2000 and in 2001), the Austin Motorola Marathon, and was 2nd in the prestigious Manchester Road Race. During 2001, he came down with Achilles tendonitis, but still picked up wins at the San Diego Half-Marathon and the Heritage Oaks Bank 10k in California. To top his accomplishments, he won the 2002 San Diego Marathon earlier this year in 2:19:27. In May 2002 Janko broke the course record placing second in the 8K Dr. Seuss Race for Literacy in San Diego sponsored by the Union-Tribune. There were 4335 finishers in the race.
Janko and his wife, Mirijana who is also a runner, had a baby girl in February. He often brings her to the track to watch him run, seemingly the only time he is not holding his daughter.
Find out more about Janko Bensa by visiting the runningbuzz.com site. Back to Penta People Index |
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