Bas is 39 and sold his running shop in Amstelveen last year to fully concentrate on running. He moved to Hilversum to make it easier to train in nature. After a year of preparation, he will be at the start of the marathon on Sunday. “These are the most difficult weeks for an athlete to keep calm.”
He hopes to run a special record at the marathon in Amsterdam. His father Aart became Dutch champion at the marathon in Rotterdam in 1994. His father’s personal record is 2 hours, 15 minutes and 14 seconds. Bas wants to walk under that. “I would really be cheering if he ran well under my time,” says father Aart, who guided him as a coach in the preparation for the marathon.