Viktor Roethlin is well aware his health may never be the same if he runs in the marathon at this summer's Beijing Olympics. But for the Swiss medal hope, the potential rewards are well worth the risks.
Fears that a combination of the city's notorious air pollution and the sweltering August heat could wreak havoc for the athletes have been carefully noted by Roethlin.
"You always hear that it is stupid to go there to run and even that you could have problems for the rest of your life," he told Reuters in an interview on Thursday.
"I hope and I pray it will be raining before the race and they will shut down all the factories and the traffic. But I also believe China will do this.
"These two weeks will be watched everywhere in the world and China wants to show the world a clean Olympics."
Roethlin took bronze at last year's World Championships in furnace-like conditions in Osaka and will take every precaution to avoid heat exhaustion in Beijing.
"Switzerland's Olympic medical team have done a lot of research to find out what they can do to protect the athletes," he said while training for this weekend's Tokyo Marathon.
"On this level I have a lot of support but I can never have zero percent of risk. The risk is that in the marathon there are moments when you can lose control of yourself.
"In 1984 there was a Swiss girl (Gabriela Andersen-Schiess) who was all over the place when she came into the stadium. It was horrible.
"I have a contract with the team that if I lose control and don't realise it, they will say 'Viktor looks bad' and if it's an emergency take me out and not take more risks."
OSAKA ALARM
Roethlin revealed that he had been in trouble at the 2007 World Championships.
"The coaches, doctors and physiotherapists are always on the road talking to each other on mobile phones. In Osaka at about 35 kilometres I didn't look good," the European silver medallist said.
"They were saying to each other 'Be ready at 40-K if Viktor looks worse than he does now'. But by 40-K I was back in the race and finished third.
"Osaka was my education .... to find out if I'm able to run in these conditions. I always said if I run well in Osaka, I will go to Beijing. If not, I don't."
Roethlin said a row over British athletes being banned from speaking out about politics or human rights during the Olympics had persuaded Swiss officials to brief their athletes.
"We were informed about the (British case)," said the 33-year-old. "Of course they also told us to be careful with political statements. They gave us information to help spot trick questions so we don't end up giving a big quote to the papers.
"In my heart I'm an athlete. I want to win a medal at the Olympics. The problem is in my life I have one chance and it's exactly now. I can't change that.
"Four years ago in Athens I was too young and in four years in London I will be too old. What I personally think about China and human rights has nothing to do with it."
Roethlin added: "My main goal is to get back to Switzerland healthy. But If I get a medal I would be close to president!"
