17.7.2019

The story of Jaroslav Maděra: As a spectator for the first time in 48 years

"In 1971, Gustav Ginzel asked me to help him with serving teacups at Jizerská 50," Jaroslav Maděra started his story. Today, he's already the "former" head of the refreshment station at Smědava. He received Jizerská 50 award and from the next year, he'll only be there as a spectator. "It will be such a weird feeling," he admits.

"For me, Jizerská is mostly about mountaineering. Since the very beginning, I connect Jizerská with mountaineers who created it as a race to improve your fitness. Unfortunately, an accident with the avalanche happened in Peru, 1970," remembers the dawn of the tradition with the sight of nostalgia. "I love and appreciate, that other mountaineers didn't forget and continued with Jizerská 50 as a part of the memorial for our guys. That's what has brought me to the Jizerská, I'm former mountaineer myself," reveals.

Everything started in the early '70s when Jaroslav Maděra became an assistant at the refreshment station. "When I tried the job for the first time, it got me immediately. I had been switching various positions by the time until I suddenly got into the position where I'm at now and I have been loving it!", Maděra concludes his path to the head of the refreshment station.

By the years, he saw tens of thousands of competitors pass by him. "I have so many experiences with them," says dreamily. "For example, this one with the limit check, which was before our station. There was a limit for competitors which can’t catch up with rest. We had 6 900 competitors that year and obviously, the connection between the finish and the track was minimal. So, our task was to count competitors and when we reached the limit - we still had more than 800 people on the track - and only one bus for all of them! Therefore, we decided to let some of them continue. They didn't know that in the finish back then, they'll find out now.  Sports doctor Machálek was there with us, so he started pointing out people we should take out of the track and people who could keep running. It was quite an interesting moment where we had to do this tough selection," remembers with a smile on his cheek.

How it's going to be for Mr. Maděra, for the first time not amongst his colleagues at Smědava? "It's going to be different, but you know, I've felt 'worn out' already.  This job got a little bit boring for me. It hasn't been that satisfying anymore. However, I've already found a new candidate for my position, Marek Tesař, and I believe, that he's going to do well. I'll just check their briefing before the race, but I won't supervise him anymore. I trust him."

Mr. Maděra hasn't lost his sense of humour after all. It's obvious even at the end of our story. "I think that was enough. Let's go for a piss, what do you say?" (laugh).