Normally they are more into the explosive sports, but Melvin Schol and Bram Crans do not shy away from a sporting challenge. Tonight at midnight, the 31-year-old athletes will run and cycle 140 kilometers between Bloemendaal and IJmuiden to raise as much money as possible for the Dutch Cancer Society.
Running 140 km for charity – NH News
That they with this grueling challenge want to raise money for KWF is not without reason. Unfortunately, both have experienced cancer up close. “My 23-year-old girlfriend has the disease,” says Schol. “She’s had it since she was 16 and has gone through countless operations and chemo. Now she’s doing better and we hope she stays clean.”
“My parents moved to Zwolle, which is about 140 kilometers away and a long way”
Motivation will not lie with the gym owners, but do they have any idea how much 140 kilometers is? “Well,” laughs Schol. “My parents recently moved to Zwolle, I think that is about 140 kilometers. That is really a long way.”
“Yes, and then we have to cross the sand”, adds Crans. “At low tide the beach is wider and we can cross the somewhat harder sand, but at high tide we have to go through the loose sand, which is seriously heavy.”
“Hopefully no headwind, then cycling is harder than running”
It is not without reason that they have chosen to alternate running with cycling. “Running 140 kilometers alone is not possible for us,” continues Crans. “That’s why we alternate it with cycling. This way you can also catch your breath from running, but then you don’t have to have any headwind, otherwise pedaling is harder than running.”
Man with the hammer
The two boys therefore have no doubts about meeting the man with the hammer. But they expect a lot of support from people at their gym.
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“We have to run back and forth seven times,” Crans sighs. “There are a lot of people who play sports with us and run parts with us. We have a lot of support that way. Actually, I’m looking forward to it.”
Start at night
The gentlemen are not yet entirely in agreement about how long they will take it. “We start at 00:00 on Saturday night and we will probably be busy for about 16 hours. So we will be ready around 16:00”, Crans calculates.
But his companion thinks they will be ready later, because ‘after a hundred kilometers things don’t go that fast anymore’. Yet they are both convinced that they will make it.
“If things are really against us or if we get a puncture, for example, then we have to walk. But we are going to reach those 140 kilometers anyway,” says Schol.